Martin FullardThe Government has confirmed the launch of a new Events Research Programme, which will include a series of pilot events using testing measures, in preparation for a full rollback of restrictions planned for 21 June.
The pilot events will start in April in England.
The news comes the day the prime minister, Boris Johnson, unveiled his roadmap out of lockdown.
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) have been working with representatives from industry to explore when and how events with larger crowd sizes, less social distancing or in settings where transmission is more likely (i.e. indoors), will be able to return safely. This includes events such as festivals and sporting events.
“Over the spring the Government will run a scientific Events Research Programme,” an update reads. “This will include a series of pilots using enhanced testing approaches and other measures to run events with larger crowd sizes and reduced social distancing to evaluate the outcomes. The pilots will start in April.
“The Government will bring the findings from across different sectors and different settings to determine a consistent approach to lifting restrictions on these events. Depending on the outcome of this work, the Government hopes to be able to lift restrictions on these events and sectors as part of Step 4.”