Forex Trading For Beginners 2021: Covid: Gig with no social distancing to be part of government pilot

Music fans in Liverpool are to get the chance to enjoy a near-normal gig as part of a government pilot event.

The 5,000-strong crowd at Sefton Park on 2 May will not need to be socially distanced or wear face coverings.

But they will have to provide proof of a negative Covid test to gain entry.

Meanwhile, the FA Cup semi-final between Leicester City and Southampton at London's Wembley Stadium will host a crowd of 4,000 later as part of a series of government trial events.

The outdoor concert at Sefton Park will operate slightly below its capacity of 7,500. Performers for the live event have not yet been announced.

Ticket-holders will be required to take a lateral flow test, which can produce a result within 30 minutes, at a local testing centre before entry, to trial the role such facilities could play in the return of large events, the Department for Digital Culture Media and Sport said.

Attendees will also be asked to take a test after the concert to help ministers assess the safety of such events and will have to provide contact details to NHS Test and Trace to ensure they can be reached if someone who attended tests positive.

Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said: "We're one step closer to a summer of live events now our science-led programme is under way.

"Testing different settings and looking at different mitigations is key to getting crowds back safely."

"I hope it won't be too much longer until gigs are back for good," he added.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the results from the concert would "inform our approach to ensuring future big events can take place safely".

The event will be organised by music promoter Festival Republic in partnership with Culture Liverpool.

Claire McColgan, director of Culture Liverpool, said: "We should all be proud of the fact we're part of this brave endeavour which looks to get this vital sector back up and running and resilient once again."

Greg Parmley, chief executive of Live, the UK's live music industry body, said the outdoor pilot was "a hugely positive development and brings the summer festival season one step closer".

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The government is trialling crowds at a series of events in England. The first of these - the World Snooker Championships - began on Saturday, with a reduced crowd of 213 watching at Sheffield's Crucible Theatre.

Organisers hope the crowd will be at its full capacity of 980 by the final on 2 May.

Other events planned as part of the pilot scheme include a mass participation run at Hatfield House in Hertfordshire, and several events in Liverpool including an evening at a nightclub, a business conference and a cinema screening in the city.

Under the government's roadmap for easing lockdown in England, large events can restart from 17 May at the earliest - but with limits on audience numbers - and nightclubs will be able to reopen no earlier than 21 June.

The Welsh government is planning to hold a series of pilot events for audiences of up to 1,000 people after 12 April.

A target date for the restart of large events in Scotland and Northern Ireland has not yet been set.

On Saturday, the UK recorded a 2,206 new cases and 35 deaths, according to the latest government figures. More than 32.6 million people have had their first dose of a coronavirus vaccine, while more than 9.4 million people have had their second dose.