As 60,000 fans cheered on the England soccer team at London’s Wembley Stadium during the Euro 2020 final last Sunday night, it didn’t just feel like a great night for English football. There was a deeper sense of jubilant expectation in the air.

In the packed stadium, and in the exuberant pubs and town squares all around the country, people seemed to be fanfaring not only the dream that football was coming home, but also the prospect that COVID-19 had finally taken a decisive beating.