appendix 4 — worked example: indoor festival covid-19

Appendix 4 —

Guidelines for the Safe Presentation of Festivals & Live Events

Worked Example: Indoor Festival Covid-19 Response Plan

APPENDIX 4

GUIDELINES FOR SAFE PRESENTATION OF FESTIVALS AND LIVE EVENTS: COVID-19

WORKED EXAMPLE

INDOOR THEATRE FESTIVAL

The Arts Council and Fáilte Ireland

APPENDIX 4: COVID-19 RESPONSE PLAN – WORKED EXAMPLE – INDOOR THEATRE FESTIVAL

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................ 7

2 ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE AND MANAGEMENT TEAM ........................................................... 7

3 RISK ASSESSMENT .......................................................................................................................... 11

4 SCREENING ..................................................................................................................................... 18

5 HYGIENE AND RESPIRATORY ETIQUETTE ....................................................................................... 19

6 PHYSICAL DISTANCING ................................................................................................................... 20

7 CAPACITY ANALYSIS ....................................................................................................................... 22

8 CLEANING TO PREVENT CONTAMINATION.................................................................................... 24

9 ARTIST AND PERFORMERS ............................................................................................................. 25

10 HEATING/VENTILATION/AIR-CONDITIONING SYSTEMS ............................................................ 26

11 COMMUNICATIONS ................................................................................................................... 26

12 ACCESSIBILITY ............................................................................................................................. 27

13 ZONE EX MANAGEMENT ............................................................................................................ 27

14 OTHER SITE ACTIVITIES............................................................................................................... 27

15 SUSPECTED-CASE RESPONSE PLAN ............................................................................................ 28

16 VENUE COVID-19 LAYOUT .......................................................................................................... 31


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DISCLAIMER

The worked example is provided for illustrative purposes only and is indicative of how festival and

event organisers may adapt their events in line with information outlined in the Guidelines for Safe

Presentation of Festivals and Live Events: COVID-19. The worked example should be read in

conjunction with Guidelines for Safe Presentation of Festivals and Live Events: COVID-19.

The worked example outlines COVID-19 response for a single level of the framework (level 1) of the

government’s COVID-19 Resilience and Recovery 2021: The Path Ahead. It is advised that festival and

event organisers prepare contingency plans through levels 1–5.

The worked example has been developed for one venue in a multi-venue festival. Each venue should

have a COVID-19 Response Plan prepared by the festival and/or venue management.

PRE-COVID-19 FESTIVAL OUTLINE

The sample event is a theatre festival* held over a seven-day period. Shows and performances are

held in multiple venues in a town, with multiple shows by different performers each day in each venue.

Typical duration of each performance is 40–90 minutes. Some performances have intervals.

The festival is ticketed, with varying fees for each show depending on the venue, artist and

performance.

Venues in use include purpose-built theatres, community halls, parks, hotel function rooms and bars

with adequate performance spaces.

Technical and personnel resources required at each venue differ depending on existing infrastructure

and management structures in place at the venues.

Programming for the festival includes national and international arts and cultural performances of

varying types.

* While the sample event is for a theatre festival, the guidance can be applied to other events, such

as literature, dance, music, etc.

PRE-COVID-19 FESTIVAL OUTLINE FOR ONE VENUE

The venue for which this Response Plan relates is located at the centre of the town and has a safe

holding capacity of 600 attendees per show. There are six final exits from the auditorium leading either

via protected routes to the outside or into the main foyers at ground and/or first-floor level. Four exits

are in use for general access/egress.

The festival organisers hire this venue for the period of the festival. Venue management is responsible

for running the venue on behalf of the festival. The venue provides all workers, resources and services

in relation to building maintenance required to deliver the festival. Where the festival hires others

venues that do not have a venue-management team, it will be the responsibility of the festival

organiser to ensure the appropriate management team is put in place to deliver a safe event.

Pre-production tech and set-up for performances for the majority of performances take place in the

days preceding the first performance (technical schedules are not included in this Response Plan). Set

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changeover (‘turnaround’) commences directly after each performance. Additional pre-production

tech and set-up are accommodated during the festival.

Typical timings for performances at the venue are outlined below. Note that there are different shows and performances throughout the days – e.g.

• Hello Sunshine Children’s show Performance A

• Improvisation Now Comedy Show Performance B

• Romeo and Juliet Drama production Performance C

• Waiting for Godot Drama production Performance D

• Mike Stand Comedy show Performance E

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday

Morning 11:00 – A 11:00 – A 11:00 – A 11:00 – A 11:00 – A 11:00 – A 10:00 – A

Matinee 15:00 – B 14:00 – B 14:00 – B 14:00 – D 14:00 – D 15:00 – E 13:00 – B

Evening 20:00 – C 20:00 – C 19:00 – C 19:00 – E 19:00 – E 20:00 – D 18:00 – D

Venue workers are employed directly by the theatre as either full-time employees, part-time or on a

casual basis. This includes the following classification of workers:

• Security and ushers

• Food and beverage workers

• Front of house and ticketing

• Technical manager

Good and services provided by external contractors to the venue include:

• Cleaning and waste management

• Security

The festival is staffed by paid and volunteer workers at the venue. This includes the following workers:

• Production manager

• Stage crew

• Meet and greet

Performances are staffed by:

• Technical team (including stage management)

• Performers

• Stage crew


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ASSUMPTIONS

The national framework, COVID-19 Resilience and Recovery 2021 level in place at the time of the event

is expected to be level 1. In accordance with the framework, the maximum capacity allowed at an

event of this type in a purpose-built indoor venue of this size is 200 people, with physical distancing of

2 metres when seated. See capacity analysis in section 7.

The following measures should be undertaken prior to the festival:

Updated documentation

• Child-safeguarding policy

• Safety statement

• Risk assessments and method statements

• Standard operating procedures and operational plans

• Terms and conditions for attendees

• Cancellation policy for performers, artists and suppliers

• Venue-rental contracts and agreements

• Insurances

Measures to be implemented for festival workers

• Appoint Lead Worker Representative

• Return-to-work health screening for workers

• Training and education for workers

• Contact tracing for workers

• Work from home where possible

• Assess at-risk workers

• Arrange workers in pods and alternative shifts

• Suspected-case response, close-contacts management

and Outbreak management

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Measures to be implemented for contractors and suppliers

• Health screening

• Training and education on festival and venue COVID-19 Response Plan

• Contact-tracing systems

• Nomination of Compliance Officer(s)

• Arrange workers in pods and alternative shifts

• Set-up and take-down activities managed in line with Work Safely Protocol

• Deliveries and collections managed in line with infection presentation and control measures

• Scheduling of suppliers and contractors during set-up and take-down to limit workers at the

venue

• COVID-19 safety plan submitted to the festival organiser and venue management

Measures to be implemented for performers and performances

• Health screening

• Training and education on festival and venue COVID-19 Response Plan

• Contact-tracing systems

• Nomination of Compliance Officer(s)

• Arrange performances into working pods

• Rehearsals, technical checks and set-up/take-down activities managed in line with Work

Safely Protocol

• Deliveries and collections managed in line with infection presentation and control measures

• Scheduling of performer arrivals to minimise crossover

• Performer/performance COVID-19 safety plan submitted to the festival organiser


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1 INTRODUCTION

This document has been prepared in response to COVID-19. It:

• Outlines the festival’s policies and procedures to prevent the spread of the virus.

• Ensures compliance with current government guidance and public-health advice.

This COVID-19 Response Plan has been developed in line with the venue COVID-19 Response Plan and

takes into consideration current measures in place at the venue to reduce COVID-19 transmission and

to safeguard attendees, workers and the local community.

2 ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE AND MANAGEMENT TEAM

2.1 Assignment of Roles

Following a risk assessment, it was deemed appropriate for COVID-19 duties to be undertaken by

current workers as part of their assigned responsibilities.

2.2 Organisational Structure

The organisational chart below outlines the management and reporting structure for the festival with

respect to COVID-19.

2.3 Festival Key Personnel

1. Festival COVID-19 Compliance Team

The COVID-19 Compliance Team shall be responsible for the planning, implementation and monitoring

of the festival’s COVID-19 Response Plan. The COVID-19 Compliance Team has been established with

the following personnel:


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Department Key personnel Name

Management Festival manager (Lead Coordinator) D. Gray

Production Production manager A. Mooney

Volunteer management Volunteer manager J. Dillon

2. Festival COVID-19 Lead Coordinator (LCO)

The festival COVID-19 Lead Coordinator has been appointed and is responsible for the planning and

coordinating of all COVID-19 activities with respect to festival operations. The festival LCO shall ensure

compliance with all elements of the festival COVID-19 Response Plan. The festival LCO shall appoint

Compliance Officers to monitor compliance of performances and festival activities. The festival LCO

shall head the festival COVID-19 Compliance Team (see below) in developing the COVID-19 Response

Plan.

The festival LCO shall liaise with the venue LCO to ensure continuity of COVID-19 Response Plans. The

festival LCO shall be responsible for providing festival and performance Response Plans to the venue

LCO for review.

3. Festival COVID-19 Compliance Officers

Festival COVID-19 Compliance Officers have been appointed and provided with appropriate training

to monitor compliance of festival activities and to respond to breaches of the COVID-19 Response Plan.

Compliance Officers shall advise and assist festival workers and performers in implementing control

measures.

Each organisation working on-site on behalf of the festival shall name a COVID-19 Compliance Officer

for their team.

Team Area COVID-19 Compliance Officer

Festival Backstage and performer areas A. Doyle

Festival Onstage J. Potts

Performer/artist Performance A K. Smyth

Performer/artist Performance B P. Gold

Performer/artist Performance C L. Martin

2.4 Venue Key Personnel

1. Venue COVID-19 Compliance Team

The venue COVID-19 Compliance Team shall be responsible for the planning, implementation and

monitoring of the venue Response Plan. The COVID-19 Compliance Team has been established with

the following personnel:

Department Key personnel Name

Technical Lead technician/technical manager G. Mitton


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Venue management Duty manager (Lead Coordinator) M. Dunphy

Front of House Front-of-house manager L. Gregory

2. Venue COVID-19 Lead Coordinator

The venue COVID-19 LCO has been appointed by venue management. They are responsible for the

planning and coordinating of all COVID-19 activities within the venue. They shall ensure compliance

with all elements of the venue COVID-19 Response Plan and shall communicate these measures to

workers, attendees and incoming festival teams.

The venue LCO shall liaise with the festival LCO to enable continuity and to ensure compliance with

the COVID-19 Response Plan operating in the venue. The venue LCO shall ensure that all external

suppliers, contractors and organisations provide their COVID-19 Response Plan in line with the Work

Safely Protocol prior to coming on-site.

The venue LCO has appointed venue Compliance Officers to monitor public compliance at the venue.

The Lead Coordinator shall head the venue COVID-19 Compliance Team (see below) in developing the

COVID-19 Response Plan.

3. Venue COVID-19 Compliance Officers

Venue COVID-19 Compliance Officers have been nominated and provided with appropriate training to

monitor compliance on-site and respond to breaches. They shall advise and assist attendees and

workers in implementing control measures.

Team Area COVID-19 Compliance Officer

Ushers Ingress/egress J. Reilly

Ushers Foyer ground floor E. Mitchell

Ushers Foyer first floor J. Farrell

Ushers Auditorium K. Kelly

First aid Venue wide G. Richards

Festival Customer service K. Smith

4. Venue first aid

Two first-aiders will be on duty at all times while the venue is in operation. These will be provided as

part of the venue operational team. First-aiders have been provided with additional training in the

delivery of first aid that takes into consideration the risk of transmission of COVID-19.

An isolation room has been identified – see venue layout in section 16. The location has been

communicated to all workers.

A Response Plan for suspected cases of COVID-19 has been prepared by venue management. Festival

organisers shall follow the venue Response Plan while on-site. See section 14 for further details on the

suspected-case Response Plan.


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5. Customer Service Team

A Customer Service Team will be located in the box office. The team has been developed to help deal

with any potential difficult conversations with attendees, with individuals refusing to wear a face

covering while in the venue, with individuals taking off face coverings in face-covering-wearing areas,

and with complaints in relation to other attendees’ behaviour. The Customer Service Team can be

contacted by any worker or attendee requiring assistance. Customer-service considerations with

respect to COVID-19 shall be included in pre-event briefings for front-of-house workers and ushers.

2.5 Production Schedule

The production schedules below have been developed to ensure sufficient time and resources are

allowed to ensure the venue is suitably prepared to receive workers and attendees. The number of

performances for the venue will be limited to three companies to remove the requirement for mid-

week pre-production tech rehearsal and set-up.

Action/Items Time

Show 1 – Load-in/set-up 09:00

Show 1 – Doors open to the public 10:30

Show 1 – Show commences 11:00

Show 1 – Intermission 11:30–11:45

Show 1 – Second half 11:45

Show 1 – Show ends 12:15

Show 1 – Doors opened for egress and ventilation 12:15

Show 1 – Load-out commences 12:20–13:00

Show 1 – Cleaning of front-of-house areas commences 12:30

Show 1 – Cleaning of stage and backstage areas 13:00–13:45

Action/items Time

Show 2 – Load-in/set-up 14:00–14:45




Show 2 – Second half 16:30–17:15





Show 2 – Cleaning of stage and backstage areas 18:00–18:20

Action/items Time

Show 3 – Load-in/set-up 18:30



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Action/items Time



Show 3 – Second half 21:00–21:45





Show 3 – Cleaning of stage and backstage areas 23:10

3 RISK ASSESSMENT

3.1 Risk-assessment Methodology

Identification of hazards

A risk assessment has been carried out to identify and assess hazards that pose a risk of transmission

of COVID-19 via the following transmission routes.

• Airborne

• Surface contact

• Personal physical contact (e.g. handshakes)

The assessment of the venue and festival activities was conducted by carrying out a visual assessment,

and assessing activities carried out as part of the festival.

Evaluation of risk items

The likelihood and severity of the hazard have been considered to provide a risk rating.

• Low: risk of transmission is considered low.

• Medium: recommend significant efforts to improve mitigation measures or reduce risk of

transmission.

• High: unacceptable risk of transmission.

The product of the two scoring outcomes provides an overall risk rating based on the following table:

Likelihood

Seve

rity

Low Medium High

High Medium High High

Medium Low Medium High

Low Low Low Medium


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Control measures

The control measures, indicated within the sixth column of the assessment and further detailed in

sections 4–14 of this document, are considered to be reasonably practicable measures to mitigate the

risk of transmission of COVID-19 to a tolerable or acceptable level.

Risk-assessment results

The table on the following pages details the results of the risk assessment.

Note: this is not a full risk assessment and is provided for illustrative purposes only.

Subject area

Hazards and

effect

Who is at

risk?

Level of risk

(Your estimate of the risk level by

combining likelihood and severity –

e.g. High, Medium or Low)

Controls measures

(to reduce risk levels to as low as possible)

Action by

whom and by

when?

Date

completed

Likelihood Severity Risk

rating

Ventilation

Insufficient

ventilation –

risk of spread

of Infection

through

aerosol

transmission

Attendees

Workers

Medium High Medium • Windows and external doors kept open where possible

before, during and after shows

• HVAC systems operational for 2 hour before the first

show and 2 hours after the last

• HVAC system maintained appropriately and operationally

optimised

• Air purge carried out after each show

Venue

management

Stewards

Regularly

Cleaning Insufficient

cleaning

practices –

spread of

infection

through

surface contact

Attendees

Workers

Medium High Medium • Enhanced and proactive cleaning procedures

• Additional cleaning workers provided at the venue

• Thorough cleaning and sanitising of all areas after each

show prior to admission to the next show

• Thorough cleaning and sanitising of stage and backstage

areas after each show before load-in of the next

performance

• Shared-equipment cleaning procedures in place

• Additional bins provided throughout the venue that will

be emptied after each show or more often if necessary

Venue

cleaning team

Before, during

and after each

show


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Subject area

Hazards and

effect

Who is at

risk?

Level of risk




Controls measures


Action by

whom and by

when?

Date

completed


rating

Food and

beverage

Inability to

physically

distance – risk

of infection

and spread of

the virus

Attendees

Workers

Low High Medium • One-way-queue management systems in place and

monitored by Compliance Officers and food and beverage

workers

• Reduced offerings provided to decrease service time

• Cashless encouraged to reduce cash handling

• Food and beverage may only be consumed in designated

seats

• Tables and chairs removed from foyer area

Ushers

Food and

beverage

workers

During food

and beverage

service

Toilets Inability to

physically

distance,

contaminated

surfaces – risk

of infection

and spread of

the virus

Attendees

Workers

Low Medium Low • Flush handles and sink taps to be cleaned frequently

• Bins emptied after each show or sooner if required

• Water and soap provided and checked after each show to

ensure sufficient supply

• One-way-queueing system with signage and ground

markings

• Stewards to monitor queueing system

• Cleaners in places to respond as necessary

• Sufficient facilities to accommodate all attendees and

workers

Cleaning team

Ushers

Venue

management

Throughout

the day

Performer

changeover

Inability to

physically

distance,

contaminated

surfaces – risk

of infection

Attendees

Workers

Medium High High • Festival production schedule modified to allow sufficient

time for load-in, load-out and cleaning between shows

• Thorough cleaning carried out after each performer load-

out and before the next performer load-in

• The following performance will not be permitted to load

in until the previous show has loaded out and areas have

been cleaned

Festival

production

team

Cleaning team

Stage crew

Before and

after each

show


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Subject area

Hazards and

effect

Who is at

risk?

Level of risk




Controls measures


Action by

whom and by

when?

Date

completed


rating

and spread of

the virus

• Performer equipment to be sanitised after each show and

stored in a location to ensure other venue users do not

touch or move props and equipment

Performers

Auditorium Inability to

physically

distance,

contaminated

surfaces – risk

of infection

and spread of

the virus

Attendees

Workers

High High High • Ticketing plan developed to ensure physical distancing

maintained between attendees when viewing the

performances

• One-way-queueing system in place for access and egress

to and from the auditorium with signage and ground

markings provided

• Ushers in place to ensure compliance and direct

attendees

• Auditorium shall be ventilated, cleaned and disinfected

after each performance before the admission of

attendees to the next performance

• Unused seats will be marked off ‘not for use’

Cleaning team

Ushers

In advance at

ticket

purchasing

Before, during

and after each

show

Egress Inability to

physically

distance – risk

of infection

and spread of

the virus

Attendees

Workers

High High High • Adequate exiting to accommodate venue capacity

• Ushers in place to reinforce physical distancing and move

attendees out of the venue if they gather in exit routes

• Food and beverage outlets closed before the end of show

Venue

management

Ushers

End of each

show

Hand hygiene Virus transfer

through

infected hands

– risk of

Attendees

Workers

Medium High High • Hand-hygiene signage installed throughout the venue, at

sanitising stations and in toilets near sinks

• Sufficient hand-washing materials provided by the venue

• Hand sanitiser provided at entrances to the venue, the

auditorium, toilets and in foyer

Venue

management

Cleaning team


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Subject area

Hazards and

effect

Who is at

risk?

Level of risk




Controls measures


Action by

whom and by

when?

Date

completed


rating

infection and

spread of the

virus

• Hand sanitiser provided at key location in backstage areas

Respiratory

etiquette

Inappropriate

respiratory

etiquette.

Attendees and

workers not

wearing face

coverings – risk

of infection

and spread of

the virus

Attendees

Workers

Medium High High • Worker face-covering policy communicated to all workers

– festival and venue

• Spare face coverings available on-site

• Attendee face-covering policy communicated to all

attendees in advance of the festival

• Signage installed at the venue to highlight the face-

covering policy

• Attendees will not be permitted into the venue unless

they are wearing a face covering

• Compliance Officers in place to monitor face-covering

compliance

Workers

Ushers

Compliance

Officers

Venue

management


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3.2 Infection Prevention and Control Measures (IPCM)

Based on the above risk assessment, the measures outlined in the following sections infection are

deemed appropriate to reduce the risk of transmission of COVID-19 to an acceptable level for event-

day operations.

Note: changes from the norm

In order to deliver the programming, the format of the festival will need to be reviewed and revised.

This will be achieved through a coordinated approach between venue management, festival

management and performance companies. Changes may include:

Pre-COVID-19 IPCMs Organisation responsible

Ticketed

Ticketing will be capped based on physical-distancing capacity calculation.

Venue and festival management

Pre-purchased tickets Venue and festival management

Sold in pairs and singles Venue and festival management

Multiple shows per day

Adopting a generic/shared lighting and sound rig to reduce the workload onstage with minimal requirement for lighting specials

Festival production and performance companies

Additional time required for stage turnaround Festival production

Cleaning and sanitising of stage and backstage areas after each performance

Venue management and cleaners

Ventilation of backstage areas Venue management

Cleaning of each performance company equipment/props

Performance companies

Enhanced cleaning and sanitising of foyer, auditorium and shared facilities after each performance

Venue management and cleaners

HVAC system enhanced to maximise fresh-air flow and circulation

Venue management

Ventilation of venue after each performance using windows and doors

Venue and festival management

International artist(s)

Programming predominantly national artists and performers

Festival management

Contingency plans in place for artist and performers who are required to cancel due to COVID-19 illness

Festival management


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Contingency plans in place for international artists affected due to travel restrictions

Festival management

Food and beverage

Food and beverage offerings reduced Venue management

Contactless payment encouraged Venue management

Alcoholic beverages limited to two person per transaction

Venue management

4 SCREENING

4.1 Worker Screening

Festival organisers shall carry out health screening for all festival workers and performers via health

declarations. Health declarations shall be completed no earlier than three days prior to arrival at work

or at the venue.

Venues management shall be responsible for gathering health declarations for venue workers. Venue

management shall receive confirmation of health declarations from the festival organisers in

conjunction with full list of accredited workers requiring access to the venue.

Accreditation for workers shall be issued to those that have completed the health declaration and

COVID-19 safety training.

Contact details of all accredited individuals, including a contact telephone number, shall be retained

by the event/festival organiser for a period of twenty-eight days to enable contact tracing. All

information shall be held in line with GDPR.

4.2 Attendee Screening

Attendees are required to confirm they will not attend if they:

• Have symptoms of COVID-19

• Are self-isolating or restricting their movements

• Are waiting results of a COVID-19 test

• Have recently returned from travel abroad

This information will be provided:

• At the point of sale

• On signage at the entrance to the venue

• Venue and festival websites

All attendees will be encouraged to download the COVID-19 tracker app when completing their

booking.


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Contact details shall be obtained for the primary ticket holder. This will be obtained via ticketing

platform. Contact details shall be retained for twenty-eight days post-event, after which time they can

be disposed of in accordance with GDPR.

5 HYGIENE AND RESPIRATORY ETIQUETTE

5.1 Hand Hygiene

Hand-washing facilities will be made available to all workers and attendees throughout the venue.

These will be provided by venue management. Hand-sanitising units will be placed in key locations at

entrances and throughout the venue and circulation areas for attendees’ and workers’ use. These

include:

• Entrances/exits

• Food and beverage areas

• Toilets and welfare facilities

• Foyer

• Work areas

• Back of house

Sufficient hand-washing/sanitising supplies will be provided by the venue and monitored throughout

the festival to ensure sufficient supply.

Signage shall be installed at sanitising units and sinks to promote use.

5.2 Respiratory Hygiene and Face Coverings

The venue will implement a ‘no face covering no entry’ policy. Face-covering wearing will be required

at all times while in the venue except when attendees are eating or drinking in their designated seats.

Non-performer workers are required to wear face coverings at all times when on-site regardless of

proximity to other workers or attendees except when eating or drinking. Physical distancing must be

maintained when face coverings are temporarily removed. Performers are permitted to remove their

face coverings during their performance, as necessary.

Spare face coverings will be kept on-site for workers or attendees who do not have their own face

coverings, have lost them or whose face covering is damaged. These will be located at the following

locations:

• Main entrance

• Box office

• Side stage

Exemptions for face coverings shall be for the following groups:

• Under thirteen years

• Individuals with medical conditions, physical or mental illness or disabilities

• Performers while onstage


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The face-covering policy will be communicated to attendees prior to arrival. Signage shall also be installed

at the entrances and throughout the site.

Compliance Officers and ushers will monitor compliance with face-covering policy.

6 PHYSICAL DISTANCING

6.1 Workers

Festival and venue workers on-site will be reduced to the minimum required to deliver the festival.

Once workers have completed their tasks they will be requested to leave the site and not linger.

Work areas and activities will be arranged in such a way as to maintain a distance of 2 metres as far as

is reasonably practicable.

Where 2 metres is not possible, all other measures to protect workers shall be in place, such as physical

barriers, sneeze guards/plexiglass and partitions.

Workers will be assigned to designated pods and will not be permitted to switch pods for the duration

of the event. Pods will be designated based on task and location.

Signage will be installed in backstage areas to highlight the maximum capacity for each discrete area.

6.2 Attendees

Ingress

Entry to the event will be by pre-purchased tickets or pre-allocated complimentary tickets only. One-

way controls for entry and exit will be implemented.

Access to the venue will be via two main entrances on the ground floor. Queue-management systems

will be in place to ensure physical distancing during ingress.

Searching will not be carried out on attendees.

The physical-distancing queueing system shall be managed by security and ushers. The COVID-19

Compliance Officer shall monitor ingress activities at all times. Floor markings and signage shall be put

in place by the venue to encourage physical distancing while queuing.

Ticketing

Tickets (including complimentary) shall be obtained in advance via the festival. These will be limited

to a maximum of 80 people based on the physical-distancing capacity analysis. Contact details for the

primary ticket holder will be recorded to facilitate contact tracing.

Walk-ups will be avoided. However, some tickets may be available if the show is not sold out. Contact

details shall be obtained for all facilitated walk-ups. This shall be managed by the ticketing team, which

will be located at the box office.

The ticketing shall be:

• Contactless via ticketing app

• Tickets shall be allocated to designated seating


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• Tickets will be sold in singles or pairs

• School classes or groups attending will be accommodated if communicated in advance. They will

be seated within their class pods, as appropriate.

• Ticket resale will not be permitted for contact-tracing purposes. Individuals who do not wish to

attend – including individuals experiencing COVID-19 symptoms – shall be requested to cancel

their booking to release the tickets to general booking.

• Contact details will be kept for a period of twenty-eight days post-event to facilitate contact

tracing.

Auditorium seating

Attendees will be physically distanced from others when viewing the show. Tickets will be allocated to

designated seating. Seating not in use will be marked ‘not in use’.

Circulation

A management system will be in place to control and manage people in the venue. A one-way system

will be in operation for each show except during egress, where all routes will be in use for egress.

Food and beverage areas

Queuing systems for food/beverages will be set up to ensure physical distancing can be maintained.

This will include ground markings, signage and a one-way-queuing system. Tensator barriers shall be

installed.

Contactless payments shall be encouraged on-site as much as possible. However, there will be a facility

to pay with cash.

Food and beverage offerings must be consumed in attendees’ designated seats.

Sale of alcohol

Alcohol sales will continue on-site. Alcoholic beverages will be limited to two per person per

transaction.

Toilets

Queuing systems for toilets will be provided. Alternate urinals and sinks will be marked off not for use

to encourage physical distancing when in use. Maximum capacity for toilets will be displayed at the

entrances. Toilets will be monitored by venue Compliance Officers to ensure compliance with physical-

distancing measures.

Egress

There are four exits from the venue on the ground floor. These will all be in use during egress. Due to

the significantly reduced viewing capacity, it is not anticipated that physical distancing will be an issue

during egress; however, ushers will be in place to direct attendees during egress.


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7 CAPACITY ANALYSIS

7.1 Maximum Capacity

The existing capacity for the venue is 600 persons as per the seating capacity.

The maximum capacity per show will be 80 people, based on the following figures.

• Entry capacity 400

• Physical-distance holding capacity (auditorium) 80

• Physical-distance holding capacity (concourse) 81

• Egress capacity 1,152

• Emergency-exit capacity 600+

• Framework limit 200

The following paragraphs outline the calculation methods to determine maximum capacities.

7.1.1 Safe Holding Capacity

Notwithstanding the maximum permitted capacity, a safe holding capacity has been calculated for the

venue, taking into account the requirement for physical distancing during COVID-19. The following has

been established:

• Entry capacity

• Holding capacity

• Egress capacity

• Emergency-exit capacity

The maximum capacity for each show will be the lowest of the above figures or 200 attendees,

whichever is lower.

7.1.2 Entry Capacity

Entry to the venue is via the main entrance at ground floor. Two queuing lanes will be set up to

separate doors to allow physical distancing while queueing.

The flow rate will be reduced to 400 persons per hour to allow people to physically distance while

entering, and to account for additional questions regarding a person’s symptoms/COVID-19-health

status at entry.

It is expected that the majority of patrons will arrive from thirty minutes before show start.

Entry capacity is as follows:

• No. of lanes: 2

• Rate of entry: 400 per lane/per hour

• Time available for entry: 0.5

Entry capacity: 2 X 400 X 0.5 = 400 people


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7.1.3 Holding Capacity

The holding capacity is based on both the seating capacity and the capacity of the circulation spaces

and facilities to accommodate people during intermission.

7.1.3.1 Seated Capacity

Tickets will be sold in pairs and singles to increase capacity. Those who purchase tickets in a pair may

sit together and will be separated from other pairs/individuals by 2 metres.

Seated capacity is as follows:

• Single seats: 10

• Pairs: 2 X 33 = 66

• Disabled + guest: 2 X 2 = 4

Seated capacity: 80 people

7.1.3.2 Circulation-area Capacity

The circulation-area capacity is as follows:

• Circulation area Net area (ground floor + first floor):* 325m2

• Occupancy Load Factor @2m distance: 4m2/person

Circulation area Capacity: 81 people

* Net circulation area is taken as the free-standing areas in the main foyer and first-floor foyer, as well as toilet corridors and toilet areas,

excluding fixtures and fittings.

A one-way system for entry and exit to/from the auditorium will be in place at the start of the show

and during the intermission.

7.1.4 Egress Capacity 7.1.4.1 Auditorium Egress

During egress, the one-way system will be removed and all four main exits from the auditorium will

be available (two at lower level, two at upper level).

A reduced flow rate is expected to allow people to physically distance when exiting. This reduced rate

will be taken as thirty-six persons per channel per minute based on extrapolation of likely flow rates

from SG02 Planning for Social Distancing at Sports Grounds. A normal egress time of eight minutes

shall be used.

Egress capacity shall be

• No. of exit channels: 4

• Flow rate: 36 persons/minute

• Exit time allowed: 8 minutes

Egress capacity: 4 X 36 X 8 = 1,152 people

https://sgsa.org.uk/sg02-planning-for-social-distancing-at-sports-grounds/


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7.1.5 Emergency-exit Capacity

In the event of an emergency, the evacuation of people from the area of immediate danger takes

precedence over any requirements for physical distancing during egress. The theatre is designed for

emergency egress of 600 attendees + staff. The capacity with level-1 restrictions shall be far lower

than this figure.

8 CLEANING TO PREVENT CONTAMINATION

Enhanced cleaning measures

The following enhanced cleaning measures shall be implemented to mitigate the risks of COVID=19

and prevent cross-contamination at shared touch points at the venue.

All areas

• Cleaning workers shall wear a higher level of PPE – gloves, masks, disposable aprons where

appropriate.

• Soap and hand-sanitiser dispensers, disposable-tissue dispensers and other similar devices

shall be regularly checked, cleaned and maintained.

• Workers shall be provided with essential cleaning materials to keep their own workspace

clean.

• An Increased number of waste-collection points will be provided in public areas. These will be

emptied after each show or more often if required.

• Cleaning log shall be maintained and records kept by cleaning team.

• Toilet facilities shall be cleaned and disinfected routinely throughout each show, including

doors, handles, flush mechanism, toilet-roll holders, taps, sanitising units, etc.

Front of house

• Additional time has been allocated to thorough cleaning and disinfecting after each show

before admittance of the next audience. At least two hours is allocated for this between

shows.

• Contact/touch surfaces shall be cleaned and disinfected before and after each show and

whenever facilities are visibly dirty. This will include:

o Door handles and push plates

o Counter surfaces

o Handrails

o Seats and arm rests

o Sink, taps and bowls

o Toilet flushers

o Sanitising units

• Additional cleaning workers shall be provided for post-show cleaning and venue turn-around.

Backstage and stage

• Contact/touch surfaces shall be cleaned before and after each show and whenever facilities

are visibly dirty, including stage, dressing rooms and green rooms.


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• Thorough cleaning process shall be carried out before and after each show.

Shared equipment

Shared equipment shall be avoided as much as possible. In instances where it is not possible to

eliminate shared equipment, the following procedures shall apply:

• Clean and disinfect shared equipment and tools before, during and after each shift/show or

any time the equipment is transferred to another person, such as radios, cleaning materials,

ticket scanners, etc.

• Before using equipment, workers shall thoroughly wipe down the equipment using

disinfectant wipes.

• Once finished with equipment, workers shall thoroughly wipe down the equipment using

disinfectant wipes.

• Use of equipment and cleaning shall be communicated to workers in training.

• Workers shall sanitise their hands before and after use of shared equipment.

Contaminated-waste removal

Where an area within a venue is suspected or confirmed of being contaminated with COVID-19,

additional cleaning and disinfecting shall be carried out by the venue cleaning team. See section 15 for

further information.

9 ARTIST AND PERFORMERS

Health screening shall be carried out for all artists, performers and their parties. This shall be

completed no earlier than three days prior to arrival on-site. Accreditation shall be issued to those

who have completed the health declaration and COVID-19 safety training. The festival LCO shall

provide declarations to the venue LCO prior to coming on-site. Venue workers shall provide

declarations directly to the venue LCO.

Contact details of all accredited individuals, including a contact telephone number, shall be retained

for a period of twenty-eight days to enable contact tracing.

Performers are required to submit a COVID-19 Response Plan for their activities and to nominate a

COVID-19 Compliance Officer to liaise with the festival organiser. The festival LCO shall share these

Response Plans with the venue LCO.

Appropriate PPE (medical-grade face covering, eye protection) shall be worn by those carrying out

close-contact activities and handling shared equipment, such as costume fitting, hair and make-up,

working with sound and amplification equipment (such as microphones).

Additional control measures being implemented include:

• Sufficient physical distancing of performers from audiences.

• Physical distancing of performers from other performers onstage (2 metres) where possible.

• Performer numbers for each show reduced to the lowest possible number.

• Face coverings will be worn by performers when not on stage/performing.

• ‘Show stop’ procedures shall be in place for instances of crowd non-compliance.


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• Where possible, performers will handle their own props and equipment.

• Performers to apply their own hair and make-up as far as is reasonably practicable.

Company props and stage equipment shall be labelled and stored after each show to prevent access

by other performance companies and to prevent contamination via contact transfer.

Microphones and personal audio equipment shall be cleaned after each use and will not be shared.

10 HEATING/VENTILATION/AIR-CONDITIONING SYSTEMS

The venue has consulted with their HVAC-system maintenance team to ensure that the system has

been optimised to reduce the spread of COVID-19 at the venue. They have confirmed the following:

• Increase of natural ventilation by opening windows or external doors at designated times

throughout the day, before and after each performance.

• HVAC system is fully serviced and maintained in accordance with manufacturer’s instructions

• Increased percentage of outdoor airflow.

• Increased total airflow supply.

• Disabled demand-control ventilation controls that reduce air supply based on occupancy.

• Increases air filtration to as high as possible.

• Ensure exhaust fans are operating at full capacity.

The HVAC systems shall be turned on two hours before the first show each day and shall remain on

for at least two hours after the building has been vacated after the last show.

Air purge shall be carried out after each show by opening all doors for fifteen minutes, after which

only the main doors will remain open, with security in position to monitor.

11 COMMUNICATIONS

Clear and concise communication with workers, attendees and external stakeholders shall be

undertaken by the festival and the venue.

The communications plan shall inform attendees and workers:

• Of what measures have been put in place for their safety.

• Of what is expected of them.

• Of changes to the working environment and show experience.

• Not to attend if they feel unwell.

• What to do if they feel unwell when at the venue.

Communications for attendees with respect to COVID-19 shall be presented via the following methods

and shall detail public-health measures being implemented by the festival.

• Website for the festival and the venue.

• Social-media channels for the festival and the venue.

• Ticketing platform.


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• Emails and push notifications via the email address provided at the time of ticketing allocation.

• Signage in the venue.

• Verbal communication from workers.

Communications with workers shall be via induction training and ad hoc briefings/reminders.

Communications with the local town council, businesses, residents and venues shall be ongoing to

ensure all stakeholders are aware of key details for the festival, including:

• Locations, dates and performance times.

• Point of contact and designated email/telephone line for issues or concerns.

• Capacities for each venues and possible effect with respect to pressures on local infrastructure

or amenities (cafés, bars, restaurants, parking, etc.).

12 ACCESSIBILITY

Control measures shall not prevent a person with a disability from attending or accessing the event. These

measures will be managed by the venue team:

• Positions of barriers and infrastructure shall not impede the access or circulation route for people

with disabilities.

• Positions and legibility of signage shall have regard for people with different disabilities.

• Hand sanitisers shall be accessible to people with a range of abilities.

• Hand sanitisers, barriers and other infrastructure shall contrast visually with surrounding surfaces

so that they are easily identifiable to people with vision impairment.

• Ushers and COVID-19 Compliance Officers shall be made aware that some disabled people are

unable to wear face coverings.

13 ZONE EX MANAGEMENT

Festival activities take place in multiple venues throughout a town. Consideration has been given to

ensure that programming is designed in such a way as to ensure areas in the direct vicinity of each of

the venues do not become overly congested before and after each performance.

Public parking facilities have been assessed and are deemed adequate for festival activities. Details of

available parking are included in pre-event communications. The majority of venues in use have their

own car park, which will be available for use.

No road closures are required for the festival.

14 OTHER SITE ACTIVITIES

There are no additional activities on-site for the festival.


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15 SUSPECTED-CASE RESPONSE PLAN

15.1 Suspected Case

The key message is that workers or attendees should not attend the event if they are displaying any

signs or symptoms of COVID-19 or are feeling unwell.

However, while an individual should not attend if displaying symptoms of COVID-19, the following

outlines the steps to be put in place to deal with a suspected case that may arise during the course of

the working day or at the venue.

Suspected-case response at the venue shall be managed by venue management.

15.2 Initial Response

If an individual makes themselves known to a worker as having symptoms of COVID-19, the first-aider

or another designated responder shall be contacted.

The designated responder will escort them to the isolation area, remaining 2 metres away from the

individual and ensuring that all other individuals maintain a 2-metre distance. The individual will be

given a disposable face mask, if not already wearing one, while walking to the isolation area, and

advised not to touch any surfaces, objects or people.

Once in the isolation area, the first0aider can assess the individual to see if they are well enough to

make their way home and can do so safely. The individual will be instructed to restrict their

movements and contact their GP for further instructions. Prior to doing this, their contact name,

contact details and, if an attendee, their designated seat number will be taken from a safe distance (2

metres). If the person is not well enough to travel home, they will be instructed to contact their GP by

phone (preferably using their own mobile phone) to discuss the next steps.

Anyone showing symptoms of COVID-19 will be advised not use public transport.

If the individual displaying symptoms is an event attendee and is attending the show accompanied by

other individuals, they will be considered close contacts for the purposes of the venue response. These

individuals will be identified and requested to leave the show in a similar manner as outlined above.

The isolation room shall be equipped with the following items:

• Tissues

• Hand sanitiser

• PPE, including gloves and surgical face masks

• Disinfectant and/or wipes

• Waste bags or waste bin with lid (pedal bin or non-touch mechanism)

The window for the isolation room shall remain open at all times while the building is in use.

The isolation area will be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected after use. See section below for further

details.


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COVID-19 Contact Tracing Log for suspected case

The venue suspected case log shall be completed by the designated Compliance Officer on shift when

the incident occurs. The name and contact details of this person will be provided to festival workers

and management before each show.

The suspected-case log will gather the following details:

• Date and time of the suspected case.

• Name, contact details of the suspected case.

• If the suspected case is an attendee or a worker.

• Seat number or work area.

• Name and contact details of the suspected-case companion, if appropriate.

• Identification of possible close contacts. If close contacts are identified, they will be instructed

to return home and restrict their movements until further information is available.

• Identification of all areas accessed by the individual.

• Measures implemented – medical assessment, returned home, went to hospital.

Depending on the information provided for the suspected-case log, the venue management may deem

it appropriate to discuss findings with the festival team. If it is felt there is a greater risk of infection to

other attendees and workers, the show may need to be cancelled or postponed. This decision will be

made by the festival LCO and the venue LCO.

15.3 Cleaning Guidelines After the Presence of a Suspected Case of COVID-19

The following actions will be taken for cleaning/disinfecting after the presence of a suspected or

confirmed case of COVID-19. Cleaning shall be carried out by a contract cleaning company.

• As soon as the suspected case has left the isolation room, the door will be closed and

window(s) shall remain open to disperse any aerosol particles.

• All surfaces and furniture in the room will be carefully cleaned with a neutral detergent,

followed by decontamination of surfaces using a disinfectant effective against viruses.

Disposable cleaning cloths will be used. The window(s) and door shall remain open while

cleaning is in progress.

• Cleaners will wear disposable single-use non-sterile nitrile gloves, face coverings and

disposable plastic aprons while cleaning. If an area has been heavily contaminated – such as

with visible bodily fluids from a person with COVID-19 – eye protection will be worn.

• As far as is reasonably possible, the room will not be used until the area is sufficiently cleaned,

disinfected and dried.

15.4 Outbreak Response

If there is an outbreak as a result of event activities, the following actions shall be implemented:

• Cooperate with Public Health representatives

• Provide contact log details for contact tracing

• Carry out investigation to identify the source of the outbreak


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• Review infection prevention and control measures to ensure they are being implemented

• Review risk assessment based on the findings of the risk assessment

• Inform workers of findings if necessary


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16 VENUE COVID-19 LAYOUT


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Fáilte Ireland88–95 Amiens Street,Dublin 1, IrelandD01 WR86

�.failteireland.iet +353 1 884 7700

The Arts Council70 Merrion Square,Dublin 2, IrelandD02 NY52

�.artscouncil.iet +353 1 618 0200f +353 1 676 1302Callsave 1850 392 492

appendix 4 — worked example: indoor festival covid-19

Documents