Sunday 4th July 2021
Test laboratory England
Sold out – Wimbledon opens the grandstands
The UK opens its sports venues. From the quarter-finals onwards, Wimbledon could announce a sold out Center Court, 60,000 spectators are allowed at the European Football Championship in Wembley and up to 140,000 fans could cheer Lewis Hamilton at the Formula 1 race in Silverstone in mid-July.
From the quarter-finals on Tuesday, all spectator seats on Center Court and the number one seat at the tennis tournament in Wimbledon can again be used. This was announced by the organizers on the Sunday free of play. In the first week of the Grand Slam tournament in London, the capacities on the two largest courts were allowed to be used up to 50 percent. The Center Court holds 14,979 visitors, the number one seat 12,345 fans. Originally, full utilization was only planned for the final weekend.
Even if it rains at Wimbledon, that won’t change. Should the roof over the Center Court be closed and the outdoor event turned into an indoor event. Access to the site is only possible with a so-called “Vaccine Passport”, which, as in Germany, shows the vaccination status or a negative rapid test. Viewers are encouraged to continue to follow the applicable guidelines for wearing masks keep outside the seats.
Lewis Hamilton warns
For the first time since the beginning of the corona pandemic, the maximum number of spectators is now allowed again at an outdoor sports event, the message said. However, restrictions should still apply to the outdoor spaces. Wimbledon is one of several major events that are testing the readmission of spectators in the UK. This also includes the European Football Championship, which will be concluded in London’s Wembley Stadium with the semi-finals in the middle of the week and the final on July 11th. On the same day – next Sunday – the tournament in Wimbledon will end with the men’s final, which will continue this Monday with the round of 16.
60,000 spectators are admitted to the upcoming finals of the European Football Championship. They do not have to adhere to distance regulations or a mask requirement on the stadium grounds. The organizer of the Formula 1 race is also planning to run at full capacity at the British Grand Prix in Silverstone. Up to 140,000 viewers per day could then cheer the local hero Lewis Hamilton. But in the run-up to the Steiermarkt Grand Prix a week ago, he was skeptical. “I’m happy to see the fans again, especially the British,” said Hamilton of the audience’s upcoming return, “but I also watch the news, I know the number of cases is rising, so I’m worried about the people too.”
Chancellor Angela Merkel also expressed concern this week after her meeting with Prime Minister Boris Johnson. “The British government will make its decisions. But I am worried and skeptical whether that is a good thing and not a bit much,” she said, referring to the expected attendance at the European Championship games at Wembley.
The number of infections is increasing
As at Wimbledon and Wembley, visitors will need proof of their vaccination status or proof of a negative test. According to the organizers, two negative quick tests are required for spectators who want to be on the route between Northampton and Oxford on all four days. The organizer writes on the website about the mask requirement: “Visitors are asked to ensure that a mask is worn outside of the event. Within the officially designated area (…) it is not necessary to wear masks. They can, however, be worn become.”
In the UK, 85.7 percent have already received their first dose of vaccine and 63.4 percent have already been vaccinated twice, according to official data. After the spread of the delta variant, the seven-day incidence in the UK is currently 239; on May 20 it was 15.6. The so-called “Events Research Program” the UK government is a gigantic field test amid rising numbers of infections, “enabling people to safely attend a range of events”. The program not only relates to sports events, but also to the cultural sector.
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