The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan is offering Londoners a golden opportunity to watch the EURO 2020 final in the heart of central London at the Trafalgar Square Fan Zone - if they get their
first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine or make an appointment for their first jab by Thursday this week. With England just one game away from making history, one lucky Londoner and a guest will be invited by the Mayor to watch the game at Wembley Stadium – in the first major international football final to take place at the home of English football for 25 years.
To encourage more Londoners to get vaccinated as soon as possible, Sadiq is making available 50 pairs of tickets to watch the showpiece event of the championships at the London Fan Zone in Trafalgar Square, to those who are eligible for their first vaccination. One lucky Londoner and a guest will also be invited to watch the final at Wembley as the Mayor’s guests. Should England beat Demark on Wednesday evening, Sunday’s final would not only be the first time in history the team have ever played in the finals of the European Championships, but also their first major international final since winning the World Cup at Wembley in 1966.
This online ticket draw to boost vaccinations follows the success of schemes in other cities, such as New York’s offer of free tickets to local attractions and Toronto’s Vaccine Day which saw the city giving away free tickets to watch the Toronto Raptors NBA basketball team.
With less than two weeks to go before COVID-19 restrictions are expected to be eased, London is leading the way in rolling out the COVID-19 vaccine across a young and diverse city. Following the success of walk-in vaccination centres, the NHS is continuing to increase access to the life-saving jab by opening vaccine centres for walk-ins, and planning further mass events at London’s cultural and sporting venues over the next two weeks. In order to ensure Londoners are conveniently able to access the jab, the NHS walk-in vaccine sites are open to people regardless of immigration status and GP registration, and many open into the late evening.
From Wednesday 7th July Londoners can enter the online draw by providing proof that they attended a walk-in vaccination appointment this week for their first jab, or that they have booked an appointment to get their first dose. Entrants who post on social media about having or booking the vaccine will be entered into the draw twice in an effort to spread the message of the importance of getting the jab as far as possible. Full details of the draw for a chance to win tickets to the Fan Zone will be available on the Mayor’s social media on Wednesday morning.
In order to boost vaccinations in the capital, the Mayor has also today [Tuesday 6 July] launched a new campaign aimed at encouraging young Londoners to take up the vaccine.
The Mayor’s video campaign features young people from across the city celebrating after receiving their vaccine, and highlights the vital role the jab plays in easing restrictions and enabling people to return to doing the things they love, and seeing the people they have missed. The London-wide campaign will be screened on select cinema screens as well as on digital billboards across the city, including at The Oval and the world-famous screens on Piccadilly Circus.
The Mayor is also reminding Londoners who have had their first dose that it is vital to get their second dose to get the best protection against the virus, and that Londoners aged 40 and above can now bring forward their second dose to eight weeks after their first.
The Government is expected to ease COVID-19 restrictions from July 19, but to be able to do that safely it’s essential that as many Londoners as possible are vaccinated. More than 8.9m doses of the life-saving COVID-19 vaccines have now been given to Londoners, with more than 3.6m receiving two doses.
The offer of tickets to watch the UEFA EURO 2020 final and the major advertising push to encourage Londoners to get the vaccines is the latest drive from the Mayor, who has been working with the Government and partners across London to promote the COVID-19 vaccine. Last month, the Mayor hosted a summit with Vaccines Minister, Nadhim Zahawi, the NHS and local leaders in an urgent bid to boost the number of people getting vaccinated across the capital.
He has also been using advertising and social media to ensure Londoners have the right information, especially those who have been targeted by disinformation around vaccines, and working with the NHS to translate and disseminate important health and vaccine information.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “It’s really important we continue to boost the number of young people coming forward to be vaccinated. To help encourage more people book their life-saving jabs, we are offering Londoners a golden opportunity to watch the EURO 2020 final in the iconic Trafalgar Square Fan Zone – with one lucky Londoner and a guest invited to see the game at the home of English football, Wembley Stadium. It could be an amazing day for our nation.
“We are already seeing the big difference that the vaccine is making in our fight against the virus, but the next two weeks are absolutely crucial in ensuring restrictions are lifted. I urge all Londoners to get both doses of the vaccine as soon as possible.
“As a global city we are leading the way in the rollout of the vaccine, and we will continue to do all we can to improve access from providing access to vaccine centres at convenient times for Londoners’ busy lives, as well as opening walk-in centres, for Londoners regardless of immigration status and GP registration.”
Ahmed Mohammed, 25 from Haringey and co-chair of ‘The Big Conversation’, which gave young Londoners the chance to ask experts from Public Health England and the NHS questions about the vaccine rollout, said: "Taking the vaccine wasn't an easy decision for me to make because of all the conspiracy we see on social media, but seeing friends and colleagues losing their loved ones due to COVID-19 made me realise I have a role to play in protecting my community. This led me to consult my GP and now, I've had both my first and second dose, and would encourage others to do the same as soon as they can."
Dr Vin Diwakar, Medical Director for the NHS in London said: “We are in the final weeks of a major sprint in our world-leading vaccination programme and it is just as important to get vaccinated now as it was on day one of the vaccine being offered.
“It has never been easier to walk in and grab your jab while you are out and about in London, so if you’re over 18 and haven’t had your first dose or it’s 8 weeks since your first dose, pop in to protect yourself and keep friends and family safe." Photo by Evka W, Wikimedia commons.