Royal attendance at Euros does not prove there’s no pandemic
9 July 2021
What was claimed
Members of the Royal Family would not have attended the England vs Germany Euros 2020 match if there actually was a “deadly pandemic”.
Our verdict
There is clearly a real pandemic. Covid-19 has killed more than 150,000 people in the UK and the Euros match was managed to reduce infections.
A Facebook post suggested that if there were a “real deadly pandemic” the Duke, Duchess and Prince of Cambridge probably wouldn’t have been allowed to attend the England vs Germany Euros 2020 game on 29 June at Wembley Stadium along with 50,000 other fans.
Firstly, while we don’t think this meaningfully affects the message, the attendance figure was 41,973, not 50,000.
The rest of the post needs context.
There is clearly a “real” pandemic. The roll out of the vaccines means it may not be as deadly as it was, but Covid-19 is a real disease that is continuing to infect and hospitalise thousands of people.
As of 25 June 2021, in the UK 153,926 people have died with Covid-19 listed as a cause of death on their death certificate. As of 8 July 2021 there have been more than five million cases recorded.
The Euro match against Germany was controlled in an attempt to prevent infections.
Any ticket holders, based in England and older than 11 had to present evidence they were at low risk of transmitting Covid-19, either by providing the result of a negative lateral flow test taken, at most, 48 hours before the time the stadium gates opened, proof of full vaccination or proof of natural immunity.
Face coverings were also required except when seated in view of the pitch. A full list of visitor conditions can be found here.
A UEFA spokesperson told Full Fact that “final decisions with regards to the number of fans attending matches and the entry requirements to any of the host countries and host stadiums fall under the responsibility of the competent local authorities, and UEFA strictly follows any such measures.”
UEFA Euro 2020 medical advisor Dr Daniel Koch added: “It cannot be totally excluded that events and gatherings could ultimately lead to some local increase in the number of cases, but this would not only apply to football matches, but also to any kind of situations that are now allowed as part of the easing measures decided by the competent local authorities.
“The intensive vaccination campaigns that have been rolled out across Europe and the border controls will help ensure that no new big wave will start in Europe and put pressure on the respective health systems, as was the case during the previous infection waves.”
While the cause has not been determined, the Duchess of Cambridge was told earlier this week to self-isolate after she came into contact with someone who tested positive for Covid-19.
This article is part of our work fact checking potentially false pictures, videos and stories on Facebook. You can read more about this—and find out how to report Facebook content—here. For the purposes of that scheme, we’ve rated this claim as missing context because the pandemic is real and there were various safety measures and precautions employed to prevent infection.
*** This article has been archived for your research. The original version from Full Fact can be found here ***
