In general, mass gatherings might pose a risk to the public health (PH). The UEFA EURO 2020 tournament (EURO 2020) was one of the first mass gathering events since the start of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in Germany. To allow early detection and response to any EURO 2020-associated impact on the COVID-19-related epidemiological situation, we initiated enhanced surveillance activities using the routine surveillance system in collaboration with the regional PH authority of Bavaria. Several preventive measures regarding the attendance of football matches and public viewing were implemented according to state regulations. We describe the results from the enhanced surveillance during the EURO 2020. In total, five cases who had attended a football match in the stadium of Munich, nine cases, who attended a football match in a stadium outside of Germany, and 123 cases in association with public viewing events were identified by enhanced surveillance. Concluding, the EURO 2020 seems to not have had a major impact on the COVID-19 pandemic development in Germany. Health measures for stadium visitors and the restriction of large public viewing events may have potentially contributed to the low case numbers detected, emphasising the need of appropriate PH surveillance and regulations to limit the potential risk to PH during mass gathering events.

Immigrants and their children who return to their country of origin to visit friends and relatives (VFR) are at increased risk of acquiring infectious diseases compared to other travellers. VFR travel is an important disease control issue, as one quarter of Australia's population are foreign-born and one quarter of departing Australian international travellers are visiting friends and relatives. We conducted a 1-year prospective enhanced surveillance study in New South Wales and Victoria, Australia to determine the contribution of VFR travel to notifiable diseases associated with travel, including typhoid, paratyphoid, measles, hepatitis A, hepatitis E, malaria and chikungunya. Additional data on characteristics of international travel were collected. Recent international travel was reported by 180/222 (81%) enhanced surveillance cases, including all malaria, chikungunya and paratyphoid cases. The majority of cases who acquired infections during travel were immigrant Australians (96, 53%) or their Australian-born children (43, 24%). VFR travel was reported by 117 (65%) travel-associated cases, highest for typhoid (31/32, 97%). Cases of children (aged <18 years) (86%) were more frequently VFR travellers compared to adult travellers (57%, P < 0·001). VFR travel is an important contributor to imported disease in Australia. Communicable disease control strategies targeting these travellers, such as targeted health promotion, are likely to impact importation of these travel-related infections.