COVID19

PORTADOWN FESTIVAL ASSOCIATION

Affiliated to the British and International Federation of Festivals

for Music, Dance and Speech.

Statement on Friday 7th January 2022

Welcoming you back safely

We are delighted to welcome you back to Portadown Festival 2022. Please read the following information carefully and share it with all other members of your party.

If you have entered one of our sections on behalf of someone else, please forward this information to them.

The Northern Ireland Executive has removed social distancing restrictions for theatres.

For the protection of all audience members and staff, and in accordance with the current legislative requirements, we will only admit patrons after they have completed a Covid Status Check at the entrance to the Town Hall or Craigavon Civic and Conference centre. Please note that it is also a legal requirement to complete a track and trace form on entry to either venues by giving your details, and to wear a face covering at all times, including while seated in the auditorium, unless you are eating, drinking or exempt.

Covid Status Check

We would encourage all Patrons to arrive early to allow sufficient time to complete their Covid Status Check. All Patrons aged 18 and over, will need to provide one of the following before entering the Town Hall or Craigavon Civic and Conference Centre:

• Proof of full vaccination, with the second dose having been given at least 14 days earlier. Acceptable forms of proof include Covid immunisation record cards or certificates, the COVIDCert NI Mobile App, and any official documentation from outside Northern Ireland such as the EU Digital Covid Certificate or the NHS Covid Pass.
• Proof of a negative Lateral Flow Test taken no more than 48 hours in advance. This will be in the form of an official SMS message which you will receive after completing and registering your Lateral Flow Test result at https://www.gov.uk/report-covid19-result    
• Proof of natural immunity shown by a positive PCR test result for Covid issued between 30 and 180 days earlier. Any self-isolation period must have elapsed before coming to Portadown Town Hall or Craigavon Civic and Conference Centre.
• Confirmation in writing that you are a current or past participant in a clinical trial for vaccination against Covid, provided by the organiser of the trial.
• Evidence for medical exemption. This will be provided through the Northern Ireland Covid Certification process (or an equivalent process from outside Northern Ireland), confirming a clinical reason for not being vaccinated with any authorised vaccine.

In addition, all Patrons over 18 who do not have the COVIDCert NI Mobile App must bring photo ID as they may be required to show this.

Please note that if you or a member of your party are displaying Covid symptoms or are required to self-isolate, you must not come to the Festival.

What to expect in Portadown Town Hall or Craigavon Civic and Conference Centre

Contact tracing

We are required by law to ask all Patrons over the age of 18 to complete a short contact tracing form detailing their name, phone number and date/time of arrival. This data will be held securely for 21 days before being deleted, and will be provided to the Public Health Agency on request. Details of how we manage this data can be found in our Privacy Policy.

Covid safety measures

Your safety is our number one priority, and we have put in place the following measures to reduce the risk of Covid transmission once inside the venue:

• Face coverings are mandatory by law in all parts of the venue including the auditorium for Patrons aged 18 and above, unless you are eating, drinking, or exempt
• You will be asked to sanitise your hands on arrival; hand sanitisers are also readily available throughout the building

We keep our Covid-secure measures under regular review and will update our procedures in line with any new guidance or requirement issued by local or central government.

All information is correct at the time of publication and is subject to change in response to Government guidelines.

We look forward to seeing you, and hope you enjoy your visit to the Festival in 2022

UPDATES

Updates will be issued on our webpage www.portadownfestival.org.uk

And our Facebook pages Portadown Festival Association

and Portadown Drama Festival

Please keep safe everyone!