Graham Greene
29 September UPDATE
Since we posted some information about arrangements for the Festival with regard to COVID-19 we have been asked by Berkhamsted School to pass on the following information. Please note that this applies to those attending the events taking place in Berkhamsted School on Saturday 2 October and Sunday 3 October particularly.
- No-one with Covid-19, Covid-19 symptoms or who is self-isolating should attend the events.
- All visitors (including secondary school children) are asked to take a self-administered lateral flow test (LFT) either the night before or on the morning of the event. This is in line with requirements for attendance at many public events
- Berkhamsted School cannot accept visitors who have travelled, in the 10-day period prior to their visit, who meet the criteria for quarantining or self-isolating as per the latest government guidance.
Berkhamsted School is continuing with a higher level of cleaning which includes fogging between events. We provide hand sanitise stations in high traffic areas and advise all in attendance to wash their hands and use hand sanitiser frequently.
To reduce droplet transmission we recommend the use of face coverings in enclosed crowded spaces.
We encourage the opening of doors and windows to improve ventilation.
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To reiterate, we have only recently received the above guidelines from the Berkhamsted School authorities and they apply to the events which will be held at the school on the Saturday and Sunday of the festival. However, the advice below, which we first posted several weeks ago, should be considered supplementary and applies to the other venues we will be using: the Town Hall and the Civic Centre.
The Trust would like to reassure those planning to come to the Graham Greene International Festival that we intend to take the following precautions with respect to the ongoing pandemic, Covid 19.
- We will be asking attendees to wear a mask inside while they are moving around but suggest they can remove them if they so wish while seated. If there is a medical reason why a mask cannot be worn this will be understood.
- We will be spacing the seating to reflect the current one metre distancing advice.
- The venues will be appropriately ventilated.
- Chairs will be cleaned following events. However, as it is no longer a recommended requirement, the cleaning of furniture will not take place in the Town Hall.
When we planned the festival we sincerely hoped that these precautions would not be necessary. However, they are but we do not believe that it will prevent this from being a wonderful event. So do join us. As an aside throughout the pandemic, none of several hundred visitors to the Town Hall have been identified as covid positive.