The next stage of the government’s long and arduous attempt to free England from lockdown will begin tomorrow. A string of venues will open - often for one night only - as part of an ‘Events Research Programme’ to see how they could be run in future.
They will use things like modified social distancing, ventilation and rapid Covid testing on entry to trial the return of larger crowds.
The government will then review the results and make recommendations for how venues might reopen more widely later this summer.
Crucially, these pilots could help pave the way for a future “certification” programme, also known as vaccine passports or testing passports.