No masks or social distance: an English nightclub opened for the first time in a pandemic in an unprecedented pilot test with more than 3,000 people

After more than a year of restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, 3,000 people from the English city of Liverpool received permission to celebrate without masks or social distance in a nightclub, in what was clear proof that life is slowly beginning to return to normal.

With a strong security operation, which included police officers and dogs guarding the area, the nightclub Circus stayed open between 14 and 23 local to host the historic event, baptized The First Dance.

The entrance was exclusively for guests who were able to prove they did not have coronavirus. It was a test organized by the British government to assess the risk of contagion.

The DJ Yousef Zaher, owner of the Liverpool Circus that hosted the party, could hardly believe what was happening. “I’m extremely excited, I can feel the pressure release when I’m about to put on music,” he said at the beginning of the celebration.

“I think people will be excited, it is a lot to assimilate after 14 months of nothing,” he added, according to the British media.

“Together with the Liverpool City Council team, we have safely put these events together, with a singular focus to help the UK move closer to life beyond COVID-19, which for me and for Circus has been a great honor ”, expressed Zaher.

Along the same lines, the director of Culture of Liverpool, Claire McColgan, he assured that “it has been a particularly difficult process since the night sector has not been open for more than a year ”.

He argued that it is a “different event than people are used to, from the ticketing process to obtaining a negative PCR test to be allowed entry.”

Attendees of the event felt it as a parallel reality or as if they had returned to 2019 with a time machine, without knowing that the following year a virus would appear that would kill millions of people and change the world forever.

Lydia, the 21-year-old hugged her best friends as soon as she got to the party. “We used to go out three or four nights a week. It’s amazing to be back. I wanted to start drinking to get ready this morning, I was so excited,” she told.

Eden and Meghan, both 19, started getting ready for the nightclub with a fake tan 24 hours in advance. They said that losing their nights out during the pandemic was “Like hell”.

“It doesn’t seem real, I thought it would get here and there would be no one, as if it were false”Eden pointed out. “I was very nervous,” Meghan said. “It’s so good to be back,” he added.

At the end of the night, the confetti cannons exploded on the dance floor over the thousands of attendees, while the lyrics of the main act of the event were heard, The Blessed Madonna.

The event will continue this Saturday, also from 2 pm to 11 pm, and a number of people similar to that of Friday is expected.

With more than 127,000 deaths from COVID-19, the United Kingdom is the country most affected by the pandemic in Europe.

But the health situation has improved remarkably, with fewer than 3,000 infections a day and some 20 deaths a day, prompting the government to launch a gradual de-escalation of its third lockdown, imposed since the beginning of January.