Coronavirus Information

COVIDSafe Plan

Melbourne Highland Games & Celtic Festival Inc. has a COVIDSafe Plan that complies with all Government of Victoria requirements.

Information from https://www.coronavirus.vic.gov.au/business-events-information-organisers is provided below [cited 2022 Jan 12].

COVIDSafe Settings for events

• Public events may proceed.
• It is recommended that entertainment and hospitality venues and their patrons opt for seated service only and avoid indoor dance floors.
• A density quotient of one person per two square meetings applies to indoor spaces in some entertainment or function premises and all food and drink premises.
• All workers at an event must be fully vaccinated or have a valid medical exemption unless they are under the age of 12 years and 2 months.
• The Victorian Government QR Code Service must be used to check-in workers and patrons at the event premises.
• Events held in most venues will require a COVID Check-in Marshal to ensure patrons over the age of 18 years check-in via the Service Victoria App and that patrons over 18 show evidence of their vaccination status or a valid medical exemption.
• A Service Victoria QR Code poster must be placed at each public entrance of the event premises. Where no defined entrance exists (for example, an event in a public park), posters must be prominently placed at regular intervals in the areas where patrons are likely to enter the event premises. For best practice examples of where to place posters within different event premises, visit Visual guide for workplaces
• Face masks must be worn by workers in indoor food and drink premises, retail event premises, and by workers, students in year 3 and above and visitors over 8 years of age indoors at primary school-based events (for example, school fetes). Face masks must be worn by patrons in indoor retail event premises (excluding restricted retail – Hairdressing, beauty and personal care facilities).
• It is recommended that event and venue operators:
  • opt for seated service only and avoid indoor dancefloors
  • encourage physical distancing of 1.5 metres
  • provide hand sanitiser
  • clean equipment regularly and minimise sharing
  • minimise and clean high-touch surfaces
  • manage patron flow, minimise congregation points and crowding
  • maximise ventilation to indoor spaces.
• Event and venue operators must act quickly when there is a symptomatic person or confirmed COVID-19 case in the workplace, using Your COVID Checklist.

COVIDSafe Plans

• There must be a COVIDSafe Plan for the event premises.
• Event operators are encouraged to have a COVIDSafe Plan for each event as best practice. Where the event operator is an events business, it may have a standard COVIDSafe Plan that it applies to all events with appropriate modifications where required for each event.
• The event operator, owner or usual operator of the premises should work collaboratively, to ensure that the COVIDSafe Plan addresses the specific risks of the event and responsibilities are clearly allocated.
• For large indoor events with more than 30,000 patrons, event organisers and venue operators must submit a COVIDSafe Plan for review through the COVID-19 Public Events Framework (Framework) approval pathway.
• For outdoor events held in an entertainment or function premises with more than 30,000 patrons, event operators must publish a COVIDSafe Plan online. The COVIDSafe plan does not need to be submitted under the Framework approval pathway.