Thousands throng Liverpool concert
Live music returned to the birthplace of The Beatles on Sunday after a long coronavirus-enforced silence when the UK city of Liverpool hosted a music festival to test whether such events spread the virus. Around 5,000 people ditched masks and social distancing rules for science and music. They attended the outdoor event having tested negative for Covid19, and promised to get tested again five days after the festival. Their data will be used by the government’s Events Research Programme to help understand the effect of crowds on the spread.
LIVERPOOL: Live music returned to the birthplace of The Beatles on Sunday after a long coronavirus-enforced silence when the UK city of Liverpool hosted a music festival to test whether such events spread the virus.
Around 5,000 people ditched face coverings and social distancing rules in the name of science and music. They attended the outdoor event having tested negative for Covid-19, and promised to get themselves tested again five days after the festival.
Their data will be used by the government’s Events Research Programme to help understand the effect of crowds on the spread of the virus.
The scientific side of the event was far from the minds of revellers as they danced through the gates of Sefton Park. Melvin Benn, managing director of Festival Republic, said he hoped his pilot project would play a key part in getting outdoor events back on the calendar. “You can feel that the burden of the last 12 months, the last 15 months, has just been lifted a little.”