Liverpool's metro mayor slams UK Government for allowing Liverpool v Atletico Madrid game

Liverpool metro mayor Steve Rotheram placed accusations on the UK government for allowing the Liverpool vs Atletico Madrid Champions League second leg to play out at Anfield. The UK government reportedly neglected WHO guidelines by permitting the game to take place. The Liverpool vs Atletico Madrid game at Anfield had a packed stadium with 54,000 fans including the 3,000 travelling supporters from the Spanish capital just before the coronavirus lockdown rule was imposed.

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UK government disobeyed WHO guidelines putting Liverpool in crisis

According to reports from The Mirror, the UK government had initially decided to follow WHO guidelines. The government concluded that the best way to prevent the spread of coronavirus was through 'herd immunity'. Enforcing WHO guidelines would have prevented the Liverpool vs Atletico Madrid game from taking place at Anfield in front of a packed crowd but the UK government allowed the game to carry on, much to the displeasure of Liverpool metro mayor, Steve Rotherham.

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Liverpool metro mayor slams UK government for deaths in the city

At the time of the Liverpool vs Atletico game early in March, there were six reported cases of coronavirus in Liverpool. However, as of Wednesday, there have been 246 deaths in the Liverpool NHS hospitals according to The Guardian. The Liverpool metro mayor hammered UK prime minister Boris Johnson and his government for picking and choosing some of the WHO guidelines and disregarding the rest. Rotherham stated that the spread of the deadly bug could have been prevented if the government implemented the lockdown rule sooner.

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Coronavirus in UK: Liverpool metro mayor on WHO guidelines

Rotherham explained that the WHO guidelines were clear about social gatherings being avoided. WHO also claimed that the Liverpool vs Atletico Madrid game should not be taking place with the supporters travelling from Madrid. However, Rotherham further added that the government was promoting the 'flawed' herd immunity by allowing the match to progress. Liverpool were eliminated from the Champions League as Atletico Madrid progressed into the quarter-finals of the competition with an aggregate 4-2 scoreline. 

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