No masks, no social distancing as UK set to restart live events with a 4,000-strong crowd at next month’s Brit Awards

The UK’s flagship music awards ceremony, the Brits, will go ahead with a 4,000-strong crowd, no social distancing and no masks next month, as part of a government trial that offers a peek at how large events can operate in a post-pandemic world. The ceremony at London’s O2 Arena will take place on May 11, with an audience made up of 2,500 frontline workers and another 1,500 corporate invitees.  Attendees will not have to distance from each other, but will be required to present a negative Covid-19 test taken before the event. They are also being asked to take tests after the show, to track any potential transmission between audience members. The ceremony is one of several live test events being overseen by the British government, as it attempts to stick to Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s promise of a virtual return to pre-Covid rules on or after June 21.