Will the Euro 2020 final be remembered as a super-spreader event?

Once again there has been a failure at the heart of government: Priti Patel’s inability to ensure the security of the super-spreading Euro 2020 football final. Not content with having 60,000 fans – way beyond what was deemed safe in the middle of a rapidly rising pandemic – the security fell short. Failing to prevent large numbers of ticketless fans, some drunk, from forcing their way in, was always going to be a disaster. The home secretary and the prime minister, so quick to pose in an England kit, did not provide adequate contingency plans to deal with an obvious threat.

Once again this weak government put popularity ahead of people’s safety. With numbers of cases soaring, despite deep public disquiet, despite warnings from scientists and medical experts, this government is still talking about removing all restrictions on 19 July. Abdication of responsibility with repeated cautious words cuts little ice.

Andrew Milroy

Trowbridge

Yesterday morning, after being released from our compulsory self-isolation following a Greek holiday, and feeling reassured by three expensive negative Covid-19 tests, my wife and I, together with 200 other cricket fans, attended a match at the Sophia Gardens Stadium in Cardiff. On arriving at the ground we were required to wear masks and could only remove them when seated in our reserved and socially distanced seats. All stadium staff wore masks at all times and everyone present observed the (Welsh) two-metre distancing rule.

Later we watched thousands of maskless spectators in the Wimbledon Centre Court shout and scream throughout the men’s final. A couple of hours later we watched as 60,000 football fans packed Wembley Stadium and were free to shout, sing, hug each other (and eventually shed tears).

Is it any surprise that people are beginning to wonder what on earth is going on?

Peter Davies

Address supplied

Why are we surprised at the violence and wanton destruction before, during and after the Euro 2020 football final? Why are we surprised at the racial hatred directed at our Black players after we lost on penalties? After all, sections of our community, including notable figures, have spent years empowering racists and the ill educated in a bid for power and their ideological crusade against the EU and for that matter all foreigners.

Robert Boston

Kingshill

France, then Switzerland, then Spain, then England “lost” on penalties. This is no way to settle such an important football tournament. Is it not time to have sudden death after extra time with one player per team being removed from play every five minutes until one team finally scores a winning goal?

Nick Eastwell

London SE10

Perhaps to solve the wear a mask/don’t wear a mask conundrum we can return to the smoking/no smoking era when the two camps were given separate areas in pubs and restaurants. Publicans can put the non-wearers into the small, dark, airless areas that they’ve not been able to use and still serve them either from behind screens or by any members of staff willing enough. And then the mask wearers can continue safely in spaced, airy and light areas without the fear of exposure. Everyone happy?

Judith Marris

Bath

Marie Sherman’s description (Letters, Saturday) of her young daughter’s experience of long Covid was heartrending. It should be compulsory reading for our leaders and anyone else who is considering relaxing their anti-Covid behaviour on 19 July.

As Ms Sherman says, the number of affected children is probably underestimated. The infection rate of the Delta variant is currently high, and rising. There could be many more cases of long Covid about to be revealed. No one at the moment can know how likely that is. And it is the young whose lives may be most damaged.

A responsible government would assume that the worst is possible and take precautions. There is, of course, a case to be made for taking steps back to normality. But it should be done gradually, with a careful eye on the emerging statistics. At the very least we should all be required to continue to wear face coverings in shops, health care venues and on public transport. Anything less represents an abdication of responsibility on the part of those whose job is to keep us all safe.

Susan Alexander

South Gloucestershire

How can all these thousands of words be written about Richard Branson’s space trip without mentioning the man who designed this revolutionary form of space travel? Burt Rutan, “the Magician of Mojave”. One of the most innovative aircraft designers of our time is again being ignored by a media who would rather fawn over a couple of billionaires.

D Leddy

Ottershaw, Surrey