In 2004, Liverpool’s Pier Head was awarded Unesco world heritage status. Its three ornate, imposing buildings, the so-called “Three Graces”, each bespeak an age of imperial grandeur, when Liverpool – which once laid claim to being the second city of the British empire – was a centre of international trade and industrial might. Here, hundreds of thousands of Irish migrants landed, seeking to escape famine and poverty. For those who could afford it, Liverpool was the first stop on a journey to the New World. But those who couldn’t stayed and gave the city its distinctive character and its un-English reputation, as well as its Scouse accent.
On Wednesday (14 October) Liverpool City Region, which encompasses Liverpool and five surrounding local authority areas, became the first place in England to enter tier-three Covid-19 restrictions. In advance of this, intensive care units in Liverpool were 95 per cent full and the city had recorded the third highest number of hospital admissions in Europe. Pubs, bars and gyms have been closed, households are banned from mixing, and public transport is for essential journeys only.
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