Another critical voice comes from Iceland. National coach Gudmundur Gudmundsson wondered about the events in the Budapest Hotel der Icelanders on the radio station “RUV”. “I have to admit that I expected it to be similar to Egypt. We were in a bubble and they took it very seriously.” Egypt hosted the Handball World Cup in January 2021 and got its initial corona problems under control – probably thanks to a strict tournamentBubble.
Tournament without a bubble – despite Omikron
However, this is not even planned in Hungary and Slovakia. The EHF hygiene concept has been known since the end of November 2021. The EM is a 2G event, so only vaccinated and convalescent people are allowed to participate. The hopes were high that a tournament with relaxed rules could be held in this way.
However, this did not include the new Omikron variant, which has been spreading rapidly in Europe since December. There is evidence that Omicron is particularly contagious. Above all, however, Omikron bypasses infection protection. Vaccinated and convalescent patients are considered to be well equipped against severe disease, but without a booster vaccination they are hardly protected against infection with Omikron. The 2G rule is therefore likely to be of much less help than expected.
Full capacity in Hungary’s handball halls
Against this background, the spectator rules in the halls could also become an issue. In Slovakia, where Germany plays its preliminary round matches, 25 percent occupancy is allowed. Spectators must be fully vaccinated and wear an FFP2 mask. In Hungary, on the other hand, the halls can be fully occupied. Vaccinated, convalescent and PCR-tested persons are admitted and should wear a mask.
Hungary has one of the highest death rates in Europe in the corona pandemic. According to Johns Hopkins University, it is 415 Covid-19 deaths per 100,000 population. For comparison: Germany is at 138, Slovakia at 313. At the same time, Hungary’s government around right-wing populist Viktor Orban uses every opportunity to host major sporting events. Budapest has hosted several football matches in the Champions League and the Europa League and was the only venue for the 2021 European Football Championship to have a full stadium without a mask requirement.
The risk in the summer went largely well, at least the number of infections remained at a low level afterwards. The only question that remains is whether the experiment will also work out to fully occupy a handball hall in Omikron times.
As of: January 13th, 2022, 8:00 am