Matriculants have been warned that this year’s Rage festival may be the headquarters for the Fourth wave of COVID-19 despite a “no vax, no entry” policy. The warning comes after the festival has become a superspreader event for COVID-19.
However, festival organisers have confirmed that festival-goers must be fully vaccinated to gain entry or alternatively undergo frequent antigen tests, Medicare24 chief executive Mike van Wyk says this does not mean that the virus won’t spread, Knysna – Plett Herald reports.
“But being vaccinated does not mean you cannot contract the disease, it only means you’ll likely end up getting a lightweight version of it and not die,” Van Wyk was quoted as saying.
Van Wyk mentioned further that it will also be a challenge to effectively control such a large crowd as well as police presence outside the festival.
Also read: Safety protocols for Plett and Ballito Rage implemented as ‘jol’ preparations get underway
According to the organiser of the Rage Ballito, Greg Walsh, all available COVID-19 safety precautions, as mandated by the government and their COVID-19 team, are being
implemented to ensure the safety of all attendees and to give them the best and safest Rage experience possible.
“Our plans on how we will conduct testing have been approved by all eventing, public safety, policing and health regulation bodies. In fact, we have consulted internationally too and are applying standards seen in other markets where effective control measures have been deployed,” Walsh said.
Walsh told Cape{town}etc further that the number of attendees for this year has been kept in line with the current gathering regulations of a maximum of 750 people indoor and 2,000 outdoor.
“As a festival, we are playing our part in helping the vaccination drive in our country but insisting that all attendees need to be fully vaccinated and tested regularly,” Walsh reiterated.
Festival Dates:
- Ballito from 30 November – 6 December
- Plettenberg Bay between 3-6 and 8-11 December
- Jeffreys Bay festivities are yet to be confirmed
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