Margaret Harris, spokeswoman for the World Health Organisation, said that mass events, including football matches, could be “risky” in terms of coronavirus spread.
She told Sky News: “It is risky. We’re not out of the woods by any stage.
“We know there are large rises in the numbers of cases, that means you are (more) likely to be exposed to somebody who unknowingly is carrying the virus.
“Whether you’re vaccinated or not you still can get infected, you still can get a breakthrough infection.
“It’s hard when you’re having such a great time, but be serious about your own risk because it’s not just a risk to you – you may bring it back to somebody in your family who is yet to be vaccinated, who may develop the severe disease.
“So we still have to behave knowing that there is a large amount of virus out there, we haven’t beaten this by any means.”
She added: “We are tribal creatures, we’re herd animals, we love to be together, we love to do stuff together and it is part of a release of a lot of that tension and stress and anxiety.
“We at WHO are not against mass gatherings at all, but we do say when you’re in a mass gathering you must take your risk seriously, you must understand what they are and mitigate them.”
