Pilot Events in Liverpool Had No Detectable Impact on Spread of COVID-19 virus

Liverpool Public Health Officials have spoken! And the good news is that the recent pilot nightclub events in Liverpool have not caused any detectable spread of COVID-19.

Over 10,000 people attended The Good Business Festival and over 6,000 attended the Club Night circus event – the latter held over two nights at a nightclub. Just eleven people tested positive over the course of the different events.

The nightclub part of the Liverpool trials did not require either the use of face masks, or social distancing. However, attendees were required to provide a negative PCR test before attending. The club event produced nine of the eleven positive cases that were detected after the various events.

However, the verdict from Liverpool health officials is that this did not cause any discernible spread of the virus, with COVID infection rates remaining low in Liverpool since it took place.

Liverpool Public Health Director, Matt Ashton, said that the events were "an undoubtable success."

"The significance of the city’s role in this pilot shouldn’t be underestimated," Ashton said. "The eyes of the world were on us for days as we made pioneering strides to bring people back together, to share and experience events without any Covid restrictions in place."

The event was part of a series of trials in the UK, which have so far indicated that attending similar events with mass gatherings of people poses no more risk than going shopping or eating in a restaurant.

The Irish Government has yet to announce the details of similar trial events that are planned to take place in this country.

Meanwhile, today saw the publication of the Fáilte Ireland guidelines for the re-opening of hospitality. The guidelines specify that "loud" or live music will not be allowed when outdoor hospitality returns in June, according to an initial report in the Irish Examiner.