MOSCOW, March 2. /TASS/: The Union of European Football Associations is closely monitoring the developments regarding the novel coronavirus global spread, the UEFA’s press service announced in a statement to TASS on Monday.
British tabloid The Sun reported earlier that the UEFA Executive Committee was set to discuss at its session this week the ongoing spread of the novel coronavirus and its possible threat to the organization of the 220 UEFA Euro Cup matches this summer.
"UEFA takes the situation linked to the coronavirus very seriously," the statement from the UEFA’s press service reads. "We are closely monitoring the situation and are in contact with the World Health Organization and national authorities regarding the Coronavirus and its development."
"EURO 2020 will kick off on 12th June 2020 in Rome. For the moment, there is no need to change anything in the planned timetable. The issue will be kept under constant scrutiny," the statement added.
The matches of the 2020 Euro Cup will be held between June 12 and July 12, 2020 at stadiums in 12 different cities across Europe, namely in London (England), Munich (Germany), Rome (Italy), Baku (Azerbaijan), Saint Petersburg (Russia), Bucharest (Romania), Amsterdam (The Netherlands), Dublin (Ireland), Bilbao (Spain), Budapest (Hungary), Glasgow (Scotland) and Copenhagen (Denmark).
A decision to hold the 2020 Euro Cup, which is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year, in various European countries instead of in one or two hosting countries was made at the UEFA Executive Committee’s meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland, on December 6, 2012.
On December 31, 2019, the Chinese authorities reported to the World Health Organization about an outbreak of pneumonia of unknown etiology in Wuhan, an economic and industrial megalopolis with a population of 11 million.
The virus was identified on January 7 as 2019-nCoV. As of today, 69 countries and territories, including Russia, have reported confirmed coronavirus cases.
The World Health Organization declared the new coronavirus outbreak a public health emergency of international concern, characterizing it as an epidemic with multiple locations. WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated on February 11 that the organization gave the novel coronavirus an official name of COVID-19.
According to the latest reports, over 89,240 cases of patients infected with the novel coronavirus have been confirmed in China and other countries. The virus’ death toll has reached 3,058, yet more than 45,200 patients have recovered from the disease.
