AIBU - 60,000 Fans at the Euros now!

[DadAManger]

It was announced last night that under a "special and exciting" deal, London (Wembley) would play host to the semi-finals and final of the Euros now - 60,000 people at each match, using 80%+ of stadium capacity.

Apparently...only fans with two vaccinations (which is still not most under 30) will be allowed entry. But all those of us that have attended football internationals before know that it usually becomes a free-for-all (even if not admitted) beyond a certain point.

So 180,000 people into Wembley is fine, but my kids have had their end of year activities cancelled and my DD just had her "welcome" day to her new school cancelled. Then we had a case in the school last week, sending everyone back to school from home.

AIBU to think we should block anything more than the minimum attendance for this year only? Should we really fill our largest stadiums up to 80%+ capacity when so many of our kids are still suffering (and us along with them)? Is anyone else confused? I wonder what decision making is going on now.

I am a football fan and want this all to go back to normal, but I feel like we shoot ourselves in the foot every chance we get

‘Life has to get back to normal at some point”

I agree . the question is, is that point now? Clearly we are not really back to normal yet and the Government tells us that - that is why they are worried about the Delta variant, would not honour ‘freedom day’ and why we still have the restriction at schools and care homes.

The thing that passes people off is that Bojo and Nicola can extend the time till 'freedom's day but still allow lots of people to amass at football games. Where let's face it there is no social distancing going on. Nicola Sturgeon let thousands of Scots travel to London, yes they were told not to but still went with no repercussions. She was OK to ban people traveling to Manchester though when it has the same infection rates as Dundee. If the rules were uniform fair enough but they aren't!

My dd is starting school and there will be no settling sessions or an opportunity to meet the kids in her class before she starts. She won't meet the teacher, they did a video message instead. Parents aren't able to meet the teacher either, attend sports days or any events for the kids. I know in the grand scheme of things these are only little sacrifices but why are some sections of society still having to make them when others can do as they wish?

Inviting dignitaries from footballing associations has only been done because the UK wants to show they could hold the world Cup across the home nations, so it is a chance for them to show how the UK could do it.

@Blessex

Utterly ridiculous. Stop testing kids.

Agree but one staff can still close half a school

Op I know it’s ridiculous and I’ve written to MP

Won’t do much but we may as well make some noise over it

Will anyone comply from now on? I certainly won’t.

@SoupDragon

It is easy to manage a single event and monitor what happens afterwards. It is not so easy with thousands of small, unmonitored events.

Like these

Stephen Reicher, professor of psychology at the University of St Andrews told BBC Radio 4's Today programme the major problem with football was not people watching in the stadium but those at home not following restrictions.
"I saw data from Scotland yesterday showing that whereas two or three weeks ago the ratio of males and females, men and women, who get infections was roughly the same, now it is about three times higher for younger men and the obvious explanation for that is people meeting up at home, forgetting restrictions and infecting each other," he said.

How does "Stop testing kids" help?

It doesn’t trigger closure

Likewise I don't have words for this. And at my dad's funeral next week we can still only have 30 at the wake as that's the space in the venue whilst socially distancing, can't mix and talk to friends and family who will have travelled a long way to be there, supposed to stay seated at tables the whole time in our household groups. And people still can't have any singing at funerals or weddings. No words.

Stop testing children who have mild symptoms let us get back to normal. We never tested them before for every cold knowing it could kill the vulnerable. The football should go ahead it is a great occasion for this country and we should get behind it but so should everything else, sports days, transition days etc. The vulnerable have been offered a vaccine there choice to take it or not it is time to move on

Unfortunately it boils down to money. For it to be played at Wembley and not in another country they had to agree to the numbers. How they can enforce rules and then show other 'special' cases/events on TV and expect people to not break the rules or be annoyed is beyond me

@SlipperyDippery

I don’t have a problem with people going to the football. I believe the evidence from the pilots showed minimal spread.

The problem is the ridiculous restrictions which remain placed on places like care homes and schools which provides a rather galling contrast.

The answer is lift the restrictions elsewhere as well.

This.

@ZoBo123

Stop testing children who have mild symptoms let us get back to normal. We never tested them before for every cold knowing it could kill the vulnerable. The football should go ahead it is a great occasion for this country and we should get behind it but so should everything else, sports days, transition days etc. The vulnerable have been offered a vaccine there choice to take it or not it is time to move on

Sure, but England are only going to get knocked out in the next round anyway. Group F is a very, very strong group. Hungary are the only squad we have a chance against and even they held France to a draw. Portugal have Ronaldo and Fernandes, Germany and France also have powerful squads. Poor old Gareth's got no chance.

@sirfredfredgeorge

There's nothing in law preventing your kids events though, they can continue, it is the school that is deciding to stop them.

This!

I have been to Wembley this week and even at a quarter capacity there are still many issues. For example, my household group had to leave a one seat gap between us and this was the same as the one seat gap either side before a complete stranger. We could, for instance, have all sat right together and had a gap of three seats between us and the next group so not great thinking there. People sat where they wanted anyway. The queue for the tube is as it always is there, a big massive crush of thousands of people so any distancing inside the stadium is almost pointless because you’re all together when you leave. Barely anyone wore a mask inside the stadium or outside of it despite constant safety reminders on the big screen and by announcement.

The rule about having to double vaccinated is not correct - I am going again in a few days and you either have to be double vaccinated OR produce a negative lateral flow (which can easily be faked). I have/am taking a child and these are the requirements for entry.

Why is there not more of a public outcry of the double standards of this? The absolute hypocrisy is not on the news or anything I just don’t get it.

@LeSquigh

I have been to Wembley this week and even at a quarter capacity there are still many issues. For example, my household group had to leave a one seat gap between us and this was the same as the one seat gap either side before a complete stranger. We could, for instance, have all sat right together and had a gap of three seats between us and the next group so not great thinking there. People sat where they wanted anyway. The queue for the tube is as it always is there, a big massive crush of thousands of people so any distancing inside the stadium is almost pointless because you’re all together when you leave. Barely anyone wore a mask inside the stadium or outside of it despite constant safety reminders on the big screen and by announcement.

The rule about having to double vaccinated is not correct - I am going again in a few days and you either have to be double vaccinated OR produce a negative lateral flow (which can easily be faked). I have/am taking a child and these are the requirements for entry.

Thanks for the LeSquigh - I have been to Wembley several times, but not as recently as you. Interesting to read.

Yes - the negative tests can be faked and/or wrong name/date etc which puts a huge pressure on the stewards to enforce. Even if people are stopped successfully, they have already had to go through the crush to get there/are milling around with the others who are going in.

And once in, as you saw and as we saw on TV, it is something of a free for all. Imagine that at 80%+ capacity instead of the limited capacity when you went.

Let's not kid ourselves that the Government has thought this through - this is about money.

wonder how much tickets are!

You are being unreasonable. In the first place you are wrong that only those with double vaccine +14 days are allowed. Those fully vaccinated are exempt from negative lateral flow test that others must provide. This is reasonable, because the vaccine WORKS.

The solution is not to ban fans, vaccinated or tested negative, from the Euros final. The solution is to lift the restrictions from school kids and to lift other restrictions from vaccinated people in care homes and visiting care homes, etc.

It’s also to lift restrictions on travel based on data, not politics.

@SultanOfSwing the vaccine doesn’t always work though, I know a number of people who have been double vaccinated and gone on to be VERY unwell with covid.

@SorrySoldOut the tickets weren’t extortionate, ours were 50 EURO each at the cheapest category.

@LeSquigh, no they don’t always work, but the evidence is that they are 95% protective against serious disease even for the Delta variant. Surely you are not proposing to keep us locked down because about 5% of people who MIGHT go on to contract the virus (already unlikely if other people are vaxxed or have had a neg test) MIGHT go to hospital?

We cannot legislate against all risk. People do risky things every day, like get in a car or cross the street. We do it because the benefits (being able to go somewhere) outweigh the risks.

The solution is to lift the restrictions from school kids

I agree. Events can go ahead, but school situation should be fixed first.

@SultanOfSwing no of course not, and I’m prepared to take my chances in what at times felt like a potential soup of disease 🤣. But yes it does seem odd that it’s not other things having less restrictions before this tournament.