Vomiting party-goers, packed crowds, and loud music: These were the scenes in one of England's biggest cities the weekend the UK eased its coronavirus lockdown rules

Barnaby LaneJul 6, 2020, 01:26 IST

Me at Liverpool's concert square.Barnaby Lane

Liverpool was awash with party goers breaking social distancing rules during the first weekend the UK eased its coronavirus lockdown rules.
Some bars also played loud music until the early hours against government guidelines.
We captured pictures of the bedlam.

Liverpool, one of England's biggest cities, was awash with party goers breaking social distancing rules during the first weekend the country eased its coronavirus lockdown rules.

As of July 4, pubs and restaurants were allowed to start opening, but the government said social distancing measures, including people staying one meter apart, must be enforced.

Other measures the government suggested included keeping music volume low to avoid the need for people to shout or get too close, controlling access to the toilets, and not allowing customers to stand and drink.

With people itching to get out after three months of confinement, I traveled to Liverpool to see if the rules were being both imposed and followed.

The short answer is: they weren't.

During the afternoon, bars were relatively quiet and the rules were, for the most part, adhered to.

Barnaby Lane

There were plenty of sanitization stations, and places did table service only in order to help avoid contact between guests.

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Many places were also collecting personal data upon entry to help with contact tracing.

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But as the evening went on and more drinks were consumed, rules largely went out the window.

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People turned out in masses at Concert Square, the popular nightlife spot with tons of bars and restaurants.

Barnaby Lane

I didn't see anyone socially distancing in queues while door staff just watched.

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Plenty of police were present, but I didn't see them doing anything to help enforce the rules.

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Bars were blasting loud music, forcing people to stand close and talk in each others' ears. Just one minute of loud speech can produce more than 1,000 droplets containing the coronavirus, according to a study published in May.

Barnaby Lane

Bars were blasting loud music, forcing people to stand close and talk in each others' ears. Just one minute of loud speech can produce more than 1,000 droplets containing the coronavirus, according to a study published in May.

This went on until the early hours of the morning.

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It turned out, as it always does, to be too much for some.

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But most people seemed content drinking the night away.

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Fortunately, there were still some quiet spots, including the beautiful Liverpool docks, where I retreated for a look round to escape the chaos.

Barnaby Lane

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Vomiting party-goers, packed crowds, and loud music: These were the scenes in one of England's biggest cities the weekend the UK eased its coronavirus lockdown rules

During the afternoon, bars were relatively quiet and the rules were, for the most part, adhered to.

There were plenty of sanitization stations, and places did table service only in order to help avoid contact between guests.

Many places were also collecting personal data upon entry to help with contact tracing.

But as the evening went on and more drinks were consumed, rules largely went out the window.

People turned out in masses at Concert Square, the popular nightlife spot with tons of bars and restaurants.

I didn't see anyone socially distancing in queues while door staff just watched.

Plenty of police were present, but I didn't see them doing anything to help enforce the rules.

Bars were blasting loud music, forcing people to stand close and talk in each others' ears. Just one minute of loud speech can produce more than 1,000 droplets containing the coronavirus, according to a study published in May.

This went on until the early hours of the morning.

It turned out, as it always does, to be too much for some.

But most people seemed content drinking the night away.

Fortunately, there were still some quiet spots, including the beautiful Liverpool docks, where I retreated for a look round to escape the chaos.