Test fans before Euros street party
The explanation for not having a testing regime in place for football supporters is unconvincing
The joy was palpable in the television interviews with audience members at the first post-covid music festival at Liverpool’s Sefton Park.
The excitement was not confined to just the 5,000 people who revelled in being in the open air, pint in hand listening to live music again.
Everyone took hope from watching the scenes that this return to normality was just a taste of what we could all soon look forward to enjoying.
Fast forward a month and up to 6,000 football fans are set to gather in the centre of Glasgow to enjoy what everyone hopes will be a joyous celebration of sport in a specially created Euro 2020 fan zone.
The mixture of alcohol and a large boisterous crowd is always going to raise some concern in the midst of the pandemic.
The Sefton Park experiment gave us all hope that such events can be managed in a way that can give us confidence that they will not become ‘super-spreader’ events for the virus.
The post-festival monitoring on Merseyside produced no evidence of any discernible spike in cases after the mass gathering.
The big difference between the Sefton Park festival and the Scottish fan zone is that no plans have been put in place to ensure those attending the football party have a clear Covid test.
This was part of the stringent arrangmenets in Liverpool, but the precaution has been deemed inexplicably unnecessary in Glasgow.
The reason given for not insisting on tests is unconvincing.
It is said that the supporters queuing to under go supervised tests would present a risk of transmitting the virus.
However, it is surely easier to manage such a risk in an advance testing programme, than on the day in the fan zone, no matter how well the zone is marshalled.
Why is it that we can organise mass vaccinations at major centres without such worries but cannot do so for these supporters?
With the reassurance we get from every vaccination delivered, it is to be hoped that events like the Euros fan zone can go ahead, allowing a return to normality and a welcome boost for the hard-hit hospitality trade.
The lack of advance tests for those attending, however, does look like a needless risk.