Going to a big event without masks or social distancing is no more dangerous than going to a restaurant or shopping centre, according to recent trials.
There has been fears that mass events such as concerts and sporting matches could cause big Covid outbreaks.
But as long as there are screenings and good ventilation alongside other factors that help to mitigate the risk, the spreading of coronavirus can massively decrease, as initial data from the events research programme suggests.
The discovery has brought back hope that the June 21 lifting of all restrictions will be able to go ahead as planned.
There's been concerns this date will have to be pushed back due to the spread of the Indian Covid variant.
But the new findings may make more of a case for mass events to have "Covid-status certification", proving people going have a low risk of being infectious and spreading the virus.
Ministers will get the results of the study in the coming days ahead of a decision being made about next month's re-opening of everything.
This said, plans for a new Covid ‘tier’ system have reportedly been drawn up by the government as fears mount over the Indian variant.
Ministers are looking at a comeback for divisive local lockdowns in England as areas like Bolton and Bedford battle the B.1.617.2 strain.
According to The Times and Politico, there are three options for what happens on June 21, when it had been hoped all legal restrictions would end.
Either it will go ahead as planned, or there will be local restrictions in some areas, or some June 21 easings will be delayed for the whole country.
While this research into the safety of big events took place before the developing concerns about the Indian variant, it is still likely to play a big part in the government's decision-making.
A government source told The Times : “We are still waiting for the final bits of data but the results so far have been very encouraging.
“It will help make the case that these large events are not inherently more risky than other parts of the hospitality sector. It shows that there are things that you can do to make these settings as safe as other daily activities."
The source added that while the mass events aren't 100 per cent safe, you can decrease the risk to a "reasonable level".
These big events will take a lot more organisation than they would have done before the pandemic, with requirements for those attending and participating to prove they've had a negative Covid test recently, reducing the capacity inside the venue and strict organisation with entering and moving around the venue to minimise any mixing.
But initial results from test events, including the Brit Awards, the World Snooker Championship, and a business conference and nightclub event in Liverpool, suggest that as long as these extra measures are employed, the risk of an outbreak is low.
The pilot also included three matches at Wembley in London to test out crowd management.
Both indoor and outdoor events were tested. No-one had to wear masks and there was no need for the one metre social distancing rule.
While many of the events were seated, there was a club night where crowds were mixing on the dance floor.
People in attendance at these test events wore a device that monitored how many other people they came into contact with and what they did in those scenarios (hugged or shook hands), including how far apart they stayed.
The government was warned by behaviour experts that if these pilot events led to fresh coronavirus outbreaks then confidence in them would plummet.
Michael Gove, Cabinet Office minister, is leading the review into a need for Covid-status certification. It's expected to come out before June 21.
Current plans suggest a negative test, a vaccine or antibody status would be needed for anyone to go to parts of the economy like nightclubs, sports events or concerts.
There's no current plans to introduce this for pubs and restaurants.
