Euro final 'fanzone' plan gets the boot

Friday 09 July 2021

The Government has confirmed that islanders won't be able to watch England attempt to bring football home in the Euros final in an outdoor 'fanzone' this weekend.

The Government said it's decision not to allow the gathering followed "intensive discussions" with the Bailiff's Public Entertainment Panel and suppliers.

They said that a "number of compounding factors have worked against delivering this event, given the very tight time frame", with the rise in covid cases and risk of onward transmission being a "critical" consideration.

“It was important for us to attempt to organise this event, given the local interest and the desire to bring our community back together after the challenges of the pandemic, however it is simply not the right time," Chief Minister Senator John Le Fondré said.

"We would only be able to provide a public fan zone for the final if we could guarantee all covid-19 mitigation measures were in place, and this could not be achieved in the timeframe."

Pictured: The Chief Minister said he had the goal of putting on an event to "bring our community back together", but that it was decided now was "simply not the right time."

Jersey's latest covid-19 figures are just short of 1,000, and continue to rise exponentially.

A recent report has shown that each infected individual is passing the virus on to at least two other people.

There are also nearly 6,000 direct contacts - since Sunday, they have not had to isolate.

Senator Le Fondré added: “I would encourage all islanders who are watching the match with friends on Sunday to do so safely. Please maintain social distancing. And if you are watching inside a public location, please use tracking apps, and follow enhanced hygiene measures. They are there to protect us all.”