There are warnings the "wrong type of activity" this weekend could lead to local lockdowns in the North West, with hopes 'super Saturday' will become more of a "slow opening up".
Manchester and Liverpool hospitality leaders Bill Addy and Sacha Lord have laid out their hopes and concerns for the coming weekend, with pubs, restaurants and hair salons set to reopen on Saturday.
Mr Addy, who is CEO of the Liverpool Business Improvement District (BID), said people in the city would need to consider their actions "more than ever before".
He said hospitality firms have worked "extremely hard" to reopen on Saturday, but that he wants the city to be a "great example of how to recover from Covid".
Speaking to BusinessLive Mr Addy said he wanted a “calm and measured response” from Liverpool residents, adding that he hopes it to be a "slow opening up" rather than a "super Saturday".
That means avoiding a repeat of last weekend’s scenes, when thousands flocked to Anfield and the Pier Head to celebrate Liverpool FC winning the Premier League.
He said: “I would like to see photographs of people enjoying sit down meals, not great shots of large crowds of people drinking. I want the opposite of , but there is a worry that will happen.
“We don't want to see any of that again, or some of the examples that we generally see on a weekend in Liverpool. But the people of Liverpool are responsible. They will have seen the sights from last Friday and understand there cannot be any repeats.
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"Hopefully we will see Liverpool being shown as a great example of how to recover from Covid with a calm and measured response."
"Yes, we want people to come out and enjoy, but they have to be responsible for their own activities.
"We know there were large amounts of litter left around Pier Head, and we know even that can be a disease transmitter. It's all about people thinking about their actions more than ever before.
“It’s not a ‘super Saturday’, it’s not a rushing back, it’s a slow opening up - to show people the city is still here. That’s key for me.
“The wrong activity this weekend could lead to a local lockdown - the last thing our city’s economy would need.”
City leaders have been working to reimagine key city centre areas like Bold Street and Castle Street, where vehicles will be blocked from entering and businesses will be given more space outside to help deal with the social distancing requirements.
Mr Addy welcomed the new ‘1m-plus’ rule set to come into effect on Saturday, but said: “The staff members need to protect themselves and the public need to protect themselves, and that's what all of this is about.
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“‘1m-plus’ actually is not saying social distancing is being reduced from 2m - it's saying it can operate at 1m, but that at 1m you need to ensure you have other mitigation measures like face coverings and extra hand washing, so when you pack for your nights out, take your hand sanitiser with you as well.
“Businesses need to reopen safely and responsibly - that's critical. The last thing we want as a city is any spikes, and a local lockdown .
“It’s about cooperating with other businesses - the idea that we stand side by side to work together. That's the message we want to get out. We need the hospitality sector back up and running, but we need businesses to do it in a safe manner.”
Mr Addy, whose BID company represents the interests of 1,500 levy payers in the city centre, said it could be four years before Liverpool's economy gets back to its pre-lockdown state.
“I think we are looking at the long term. We haven't seen the full economic impact yet - that's going to start coming when the furlough scheme finishes.
“You only have to see the news in other cities and towns about businesses going into administration - it's going to be constant. It’s almost back to the 2008 and 2009 days [the aftermath of the global financial crisis].”
Despite social distancing and alcohol “not always going together”, Mr Addy hopes the city’s hospitality economy can take encouragement from how the retail sector has fared since opening on June 15.
"We are showing reasonable football figures and spending levels in retail. Everybody was exemplary in the way they responded and having to queue - being patient, kind and responsible.
“We are not seeing as many queues as before, but I think people have reacted very well working together as a whole - the various stakeholders including the BID, the city council and Liverpool ONE.
“I think we can take encouragement from that this weekend, if we have the same attitude from people working very hard and people being mindful of the rules.”
Also anticipating the reopening this weekend is Peter Johnson-Treherne, chief of Heritage Great Britain, which operates tourist attractions such as the Royal Liver Building 360 experience and the Snowdon Mountain Railway.
He said they "need visitors to return like never before", adding: “The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic has been completely devastating. The impact will be felt here in Liverpool because we rely so heavily on visitors to boost the economy.
"Royal Liver Building 360 was approaching its first year in business before we closed. The tour was incredibly popular but the pandemic has hit us, like other visitor attractions, hard. It is possible that some won’t survive.
"We are planning a safe reopening of our attractions in accordance with government guidelines but we are urging the British public to support us.
"We need people to choose local visitor attractions and to take their holidays in the 海角视频. The remaining months of summer are going to be critical to us.”
"The truth is we need visitors to return like never before if we stand any chance of saving the British tourism industry this year."
Sacha Lord, Manchester's night time economy adviser, said the loosening of the 2m social distancing rule was a "good start", and that it would "inject hope into a sector that has been damaged, for some irreversibly".
But like Mr Addy, he said fears remain over people's commitment to socially distance.
He said: "I am concerned about the onus on the operator on ensuring social distancing remains in place, especially when customers have been drinking.
"As friends and family begin to bunch together after a few pints, it will be incredibly difficult to implement, so while operators should act in good faith in terms of adhering to guidelines and doing all they can, I hope that they themselves aren't penalised for customer behaviour which is out of their control.
"The past three months have shown Greater Manchester's unity and strength in getting through this crisis together. I hope we can repeat this proudly over the weekend and I encourage everyone going out to enjoy it but also keep themselves and each other safe."
So is there confidence in Manchester's hospitality economy that things can get back to normal and it will thrive again?
He said: "Our pubs, bars and restaurants have been through the very worst over the past three months, but have worked hard to ensure customers feel safe on their return.
"There is a quiet confidence in the air and I know that while there will be excitement, there will also be a lot of nervousness.
"I urge all customers to be respectful and adhere to the measures the venues have put in place to keep you safe.
"We also can't forget that only a small fraction of the sector is reopening this weekend.
"Many operators have chosen to wait until mid week or later in the summer to reopen in order to install extra measures to keep customers safe, and very sadly, some, like Lunya, have not been able to stay in business through the pandemic.
"We must also remember the nightclubs, theatres and live music venues who are still unable to open and still desperately need our support."
Mr Lord said he expected people to "stay local" this weekend, rather than venture into city centres.
He added: "The local independent pubs, bars and restaurants are the ones who have been hit the hardest throughout the crisis and will continue to struggle over the next few months while they rebuild, so I encourage the public to think about helping their closest operators as much as possible.
"This could be a time for the independents in our towns and villages to shine.
"I want the public to recognise that although we can see some light at the end of the tunnel, this pandemic is not over.
"The R-rate is still high in parts of Greater Manchester, so we must all work together to bring this down. The more people travel and interact, the more chance they have of spreading or contracting the virus, so it's imperative people follow the guidelines, especially involving social distancing."