More need for testing, not less23 Feb 2021 10:48
Read the detail of Gov't announcements, the move from stage 3 to stage 4 is reliant pretty much on some form of testing, and whilst areas can reopen in stage 3 (hospitality and events) it's with social distancing type measures which will be overcome by testing.
132. DCMS and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy have been
working with representatives from industry and civil society to explore when and how
events with larger crowd sizes, less social distancing or in settings where
transmission is more likely (i.e. indoors), will be able to return safely. This includes
sports events, music festivals and large weddings and conferences.
133. Over the spring the Government will run a scientific Events Research Programme.
This will include a series of pilots using enhanced testing approaches
and other
measures to run events with larger crowd sizes and reduced social distancing to
evaluate the outcomes. The pilots will start in April.
134. The Government will bring the findings from across different sectors and different
settings to determine a consistent approach to lifting restrictions on these events.
Depending on the outcome of this work, the Government hopes to be able to lift
restrictions on these events and sectors as part of Step 4.