19th July: Its Party Time!
Restrictions on parties, music events and festivals to be lifted on Freedom Day 2.0 – What is expected to be different for party organisers post-lockdown?
The final step of the roadmap, first declared in February 2021, is set to be triggered on the 19th July. The roadmap involved the slow opening up of venues and society, with a lifting on unlimited social gatherings as the final step. The prime minister has announced recently that most COVID rules will be scrapped on the final day, now dubbed “Freedom Day”. This opening up has been tied in with the arrival of summer and school summer holidays, where people will be more likely to spend their time outdoors.
The latest rules for gatherings include a thirty people limit, compulsory masks and the rule of six indoors, as well as a one-meter social distancing rule. These rules are due to be dismissed after July 19th, leading the way for parties, music events and festivals to get underway. Insure Our Event looks at how parties and party planning is expected to change post-lockdown.
Will health and safety change around party planning?
Immediately after Freedom Day, risk assessments and signage are still expected to be in place for large events. Considerations when organising large events, such as risk of transmission, congested areas, hot spots, ventilation and contact tracing are all projected to remain in place. Party planners will need to continue to think about food and drink hygiene, effective cleaning, and the location and distance travelled by attendees. Measures such as thermal scanning and disinfectant stations were alarming, however after 16 months of COVID restrictions, these should come as no surprise to guests and should still be widely encouraged.
Protecting the wellbeing of your guests should be a main priority for all party planners. Even when hosting a private party, organisers can be deemed liable for a series of issues. Comprehensive public liability insurance will protect you from claims made by members of the public. It covers legal fees, compensations, damages and expenses.
If someone gets ill at your event and is unable to work, you could be deemed liable. This also includes members of staff, which would required employers’ liability insurance to remain well protected.
Is there going to be a wave of parties?
There is expected to be a COVID boom for all things festival, music, nightclub, pub and partying. Weddings venues are all booked up and many holidaymakers are holidaying at home due to continued foreign travel restrictions.
There will still be the requirement that if you have COVID you must self-isolate, so its important partying remains safe and reliable.
The Treasury committee however is of the opinion that the boom is likely be spread over several years and not just in one summer. This euphoric post-pandemic effect will benefit retailers, tourist spots, as well as festival organisers and wedding/party photographers.
Partying and Living with COVID
Whether it be a picnic, a garden party, a wedding or a wake, its almost impossible to enforce social distancing effectively. But the experience industry needs to be allowed to reopen fully in order to be revived after such a difficult 16 months. The nation must soon accept there will always be those infected with COVID as well as carriers, and also a seemingly endless amount of lateral flow tests.
Melvin Benn, managing director of Festival Republic, explained to the BBC, he wants to link his events with compulsory coronavirus testing. A negative Covid-19 test would be the key to getting you into a show.
The NHS app will still be active and is expected to be widely used, however will not be mandatory. If you have had two jabs, you also may not need to isolate if the app informs you of being in contact with an infected person. The date for this change to restrictions is August 16th, however this is likely to be moved forwards due to the success of the vaccine rollout.
For party planners and organisers, COVID checks, negative tests and risk analysis will become the new norm. Street party, garden party, barbeque party, birthday party, dinner party, surprise party, each will continue to be affected by COVID well after Freedom Day. This relative risk of infection will be as common and constant as risk of damage, theft, bad weather, cancellations or accident and injury. For each of these risks, the most successful and essential financial protection option is to use party insurance.
Insure Our Event are experts in party insurance, with 20 years of experience in the sector. We have an in-house claims team who will provide information, checklists and guidance. To keep updated on the rules and regulations now and beyond post-freedom day, see Insure Our Event.
To get a quote for your party insurance, contact Insure Our Event here.
