“It is a surreal feeling,” said DJ Jayda G as the band members and clubbers have returned to the dance floor for the first time since the pandemic began.
An estimated 3,000 people with Covid negative effects attended an event in Liverpool on Friday, which is part of the government’s drive for mass events.
No Restrictions
Clubbers were not required to wear face masks or public distance for the first time since the closure.
“I went in and said, oh my God, there are people and they are all dancing and smiling and this is really happening,” said Jayda.
“You could just feel it, like some big energy.”
Liverpool University student Elliott Cause, 20, said: “I feel like this is a big time in the UK. I feel like university students have been struggling without this. I feel like this is going to do a lot.”
‘We Are Very Happy’
Some club members say they “spent the week” choosing outfits for the event at the Bramley-Moore Dock warehouse.
One of the club visitors told BBC Radio 5 live: “We are very happy – we are all in tears and ready to go.
“It was like a coronavirus never happened. It gave me hope for the future.”
As the evening drew to a close, one club visitor exclaimed: “I thought I had been stripped of my youth but after that evening, it was truly amazing.
“I think the main feeling within the crowd was that we feel so privileged to actually have been here – so many students across the country haven’t been able to experience this.”
Reopening The Economy
Event producer Sam Newson said the industry had been “decimated” in the past year.
“People have moved on – I’ve got colleagues who have lost houses. It has been incredibly hard, and so to try and get this back up and running is incredibly important.”
Liverpool’s public health director Matt Ashton said the club’s event, to be held on Saturday, was “very important” to the local economy.
“In Liverpool, it is more than 40% of our economic output. So it is very important that we start reopening the economy.”
He said club riders who were found to be infected in the next five days would be expected to isolate themselves and talk to tractor operators.
Scientists will use data on mobility and air quality to determine whether people mixing indoors at mass events will increase coronavirus transmission.
The night was part of the Research Event, which will also see crowds return to the FA Cup finals and Sunday’s music event at Lefton Park in Liverpool.
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