Liverpool will host a pilot series of large-scale events in a Government-led study into COVID-19 next month.
The Events Research Programme (ERP) will see volunteers attend trial events with large crowds and reduced social distancing measures at a number of venues including nightclubs and theatres. The events are taking place in order to assist the UK Government in testing whether it will be safe to fully remove social distancing measures in late June, as is the current plan under the roadmap out of lockdown revealed last month.
Some guests will not be required to socially distance at all at the events, which will take place "under carefully controlled medical supervision," a Government spokesman told the BBC. Other guests will have to observe different measures in order to give scientists an insight into how various forms of distancing, venue ventilation and mask-wearing might affect the spread of COVID-19.
All attendees of the events will have to return a negative COVID-19 test before the event, as well as one after it in order to track how the virus spreads in clubs and other such spaces. Promoters and venues in the city will be brought on board to stage the event, though details on the events are yet to be revealed.
Speaking to the BBC, Claire McColgan, Liverpool’s Director of Culture and Tourism, said: "Our experience as the pilot city for mass testing means we have the knowledge and infrastructure in place to deliver complicated projects safely, and we really hope we can help provide the evidence needed to ensure the wider sector is able to open across the country in the coming months."
