Fans to vote from home as long-awaited Eurovision song contest returns

Rotterdam: Twenty six nations compete in the final of the Eurovision song contest in the Netherlands on Saturday, vying for votes in the world's most popular live music event, which returns after being cancelled last year due to the pandemic.

A limited audience of 3,500 will be admitted to a concert venue in the city of Rotterdam to watch the performances after passing stringent testing for COVID-19. Despite the precautions, several infections were reported during rehearsals and the semi-finals. Favourite Iceland will not be able to perform live during the finals, after a band member tested positive for COVID-19 . The organisation will instead broadcast its back-up performance, which each country can use in an emergency.