Former prime minister Boris Johnson acknowledged that the highly contentious 2020 Liverpool vs. Atletico Madrid match should probably never have happened.
On March 11, 2020, the Champions League match took place at Anfield, during the Covid-19 pandemic in Europe, and the UK government was facing criticism for its perceived lack of promptness in addressing the escalating health emergency.
According to Liverpool Echo, Concerns were expressed about the fact that, despite their own city being under lockdown due to skyrocketing COVID rates, nearly 3,000 Madrid supporters were still able to travel to Liverpool, stay, and socialize in the city before the match. According to analysis, the game’s continuation resulted in the deaths of an additional 37 persons.
See Also: Pep Guardiola Responds To A Query About The Title Of Aston Villa
Around the same time, there were similar worries about the Cheltenham Festival of Racing. The ongoing Covid inquiry has heard testimony from a number of people, including former Health Secretary Matt Hancock, who has suggested that a national lockdown should have been implemented sooner rather than later.
Mr. Johnson was questioned yesterday, the first day of his appearance at the inquiry, regarding his choice to continue with large-scale events like the Liverpool-Atletico match.
He claimed that suggestions not to call off large-scale events, citing the possibility that more people would swarm bars to watch sports instead of being outside, “sounded reasonable at the time.”
However, the outgoing prime minister continued, saying, “In retrospect, we might have done that as a symbol of government earnestness rather than just being guided by the science.”
Mr. Hancock, the Health Secretary during the crisis, stated in his own testimony to the inquiry last week that the UK could have saved tens of thousands of lives if it had locked down three weeks earlier on March 23, 2020.
COMMENTS