The European Union announced on Saturday that it now has enough vaccines to inoculate 70% of the adult population against the coronavirus, as the Delta variant continues to spread globally, raising concerns about the large crowd expected at the Euro 2020 football final on Sunday in London. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stated on Saturday, "This weekend, we distributed enough vaccines to member states to vaccinate at least 70% of the adult population this month. By tomorrow, we will have distributed around 500 million doses across Europe." It is up to the governments of the 27 member states to administer the vaccines to their citizens, although the pace of vaccination campaigns varies from one country to another. However, von der Leyen affirmed, "The EU has kept its promise." She added that COVID-19 "has not been defeated yet, but we are ready to continue providing vaccines, including against new variants." The highly contagious Delta variant continues to spread, which is a significant concern.
In response to the steady increase in COVID-19 cases recorded over several days, especially among young people, the autonomous region of Catalonia in northeastern Spain decided to reimpose restrictions. As a result, nightclubs and similar venues will be forced to keep their doors closed, and attendees at outdoor events with more than 500 people will need to present a negative test result or vaccination certificate. Similarly, the Netherlands reintroduced restrictions on Saturday after the daily number of infections surged sevenfold over a week, reaching seven thousand new cases on Friday. Prime Minister Mark Rutte ordered nightclubs and restaurants to close by midnight. While Catalans and Dutch people are now deprived of nightclubs for an indefinite period, the French returned to nightclubs for the first time since March 2020, albeit with some confusion. Occasionally, the requirement to show a health pass prevented patrons from entering nightclubs, either because they did not have one or because security personnel at the entrance refused to accept screenshots of negative test results due to concerns over forgery. In the famous nightclub "Mistral" in Aix-en-Provence (southeast France), there were no entry issues for patrons who all presented their health pass QR codes. Lucy said, "We've regained the taste of life," while Gérard remarked, "We're having fun. The girls are beautiful; we are dancing and free, finally free." However, it is unclear whether this reopening will withstand waves of the Delta variant, which is on track to become the majority of cases in France as well as in most parts of the world. President Emmanuel Macron will address the health situation on Monday evening.
The Delta variant, initially identified in India, is the most prevalent version since the outbreak began in early 2020 in China, leading to pandemic surges in Asia and Africa and a resurgence of cases in Europe and the United States. The World Health Organization has warned of the "seriousness" of the current phase of the pandemic. Russia on Saturday reported a record daily death toll from COVID-19 of 752 cases, and the country had previously reported record high daily death counts four times this month, with Saturday’s reported daily infections totaling 25,082. Meanwhile, South Korea, long considered a model in containing the pandemic, announced 1,378 additional cases on Saturday, marking a record high for the third consecutive day as its capital, Seoul, braces for the strictest restrictions since the beginning of the pandemic. Argentina extended its health restrictions until August 6, keeping its borders closed but increasing the number of Argentines and residents allowed to enter the country. Starting Wednesday, Malta will close its borders to unvaccinated travelers, with the Maltese health minister stating, "We are the first country in Europe to take this measure." Since the pandemic began in late December 2019 in China, COVID-19 has caused at least 4,013,756 deaths globally, according to a tally by Agence France-Presse based on official sources as of Friday. The United States has recorded the highest death toll at 606,806 out of 33,812,977 infections.
In this context, the presence of 65,000 spectators at the Euro 2020 final football match in London between Italy and England on Sunday raises significant concerns. The anticipated celebrations outside the stadium following the match further heighten worries in a country that has lifted most restrictions previously imposed to contain the virus. The UK recorded roughly 30,000 cases daily last week, and all restrictions aimed at curbing the pandemic in England are set to be lifted on July 19, with fully vaccinated adults who have been in contact with infected individuals exempted from a ten-day quarantine starting August 16.
