Dozens of new coronavirus cases in Herefordshire have been linked to the Boardmasters Festival in Cornwall.
Health officials said they are investigating 4,700 cases of coronavirus suspected to be related to the Boardmasters festival held in Cornwall nearly two weeks ago – and more than 80 cases were found in Herefordshire.
The Herefordshire Council said the number of cases likely to be exposed to Covid-19 at festivals had increased and more than 80 cases had occurred two to seven days after the festival.
Dr. Rebecca Howell-Jones, Acting Director of Public Health for Herefordshire, said there are steps people can take to ensure festivals are safe events and also to keep their friends and family safe when they return home.
“You should not participate if you have symptoms or test positive for Covid-19. I would recommend everyone to take an LFD test before a festival – many festivals require this or proof of vaccination as a prerequisite for entry.
“The number of cases is particularly high among young adults. It is therefore very likely that some people will contract Covid at an event with many young people, such as a festival, without knowing it.
“The usual measures can help keep you safe – limit the number of people you have close contact with, stay away from crowded areas, be outdoors, wash your hands regularly, and wear indoors Face coverings.
“When you return from a festival, do regular LFD tests again, watch out for symptoms and, if possible, stay away from people who may be more prone to Covid.
“Finally, if you haven’t got your vaccination, get it as soon as possible. Vaccination clinics have been run at local festivals, including Lakefest, which vaccinated over 100 people, and are offered this weekend at Olliefest.”
The festival for all ages, which included headliners Foals and Gorillaz, outlined its Covid-19 policy on its website.
It said the festival will ask all ticket holders 11 years and older to prove their Covid-19 status via the NHS Covid Pass app before entering.
This meant attendees had to show a negative lateral flow test within 24 hours of arriving at the festival gate, vaccination with both doses (the second being received at least 14 days before the festival), or evidence of natural immunity after a positive one PCR test (provided that at least 10 days and up to 180 days had passed after the test was performed).
People who camped at the festival had to wait during the event on Friday, April 13th.
Participants had to bring their own lateral flow tests. Face masks were not mandatory but were encouraged.
A Boardmasters spokesperson said: “Since the government allowed live events to return, we have worked closely with the Cornwall Council public health team and put in place risk management measures that go beyond national guidelines.
“This included using the NHS Covid Pass as an entry requirement, which was introduced earlier this year as part of the research program for government events and is recommended as best practice at other major events.
“The system has detected more than 450 people who would otherwise have been at risk of transmitting the virus and therefore did not visit our Watergate Bay site or leave the festival prematurely. We are grateful to them and everyone else who took the extra steps ”this year.
“No event can completely eliminate the risk and the latest Test and Trace data includes reported infections among the 76,000 people who attended the festival or related activities in Fistral Beach, Newquay and the surrounding area during Boardmasters Week.
“We will continue to work with our public health partners to understand how festival attendance contributed to the numbers.
“We look forward to sharing our experiences with our local government partners and other major events so that we can all continue to bring much-needed economic benefits to our communities and entertainment to our loyal audiences.”
It came when an expert advising the government said the return of music festivals and schools would lead to a “significant increase” in Covid-19 infections that worries medical professionals.
An increase in cases as a result is “realistic” and will occur “despite best efforts” amid the spread of the dominant and more easily transmissible delta variant of the coronavirus, said Professor Ravindra Gupta.
The member of the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (Nervtag), who said he was speaking in a personal capacity, noted that some of the government’s pilot events earlier this year – which concluded “no significant outbreaks” were shown to have. – Had occurred when the delta variant was not prevalent and community transmission was relatively low.