Covid-19 measures for Village Halls from 24th February 2022: Living with Covid-19
Key principles for village halls:
- People should stay at home if unwell.
- Those who have recently had COVID-19 should not attend the hall until either a week has passed and they no longer have a temperature or they have two negative lateral flow tests on days 5 and 6. They should inform their close contacts and avoid contact with anyone in an at risk group. Contacts of people with COVID-19 are asked to take extra care, following general guidance on safer behaviours. Routine contact tracing ends on 24th February.
- Let fresh air in if meeting indoors. Opening a window for ten minutes helps. (This has also been shown to reduce risk of catching other airborne diseases such as flu).
- Continue to wear a face covering in crowded and enclosed spaces, especially where you may come into contact with other people you do not normally meet and when rates of transmission are high.
- Clean your hands often, avoid touching your face, nose or eyes. “Catch it, bin it, Kill it”.
- Maintain social distancing as far as possible from anyone you do not have regular contact with. Respect the fact that others may wish to take a more cautious approach.
- If a more crowded event is likely to take place, eg a wedding reception with dancing, hirers can be encouraged to ask everyone to take a lateral flow test beforehand, as recommended in the “How to Stay Safe” guidance.
From July 2021 it is the hirer’s responsibility to manage the Covid risks at an event in a community hall. A template of a risk assessment for hirers, which has been provided by ACRE, is found here.