We know from the data that fresh air is a huge factor in reducing the risk of COVID as it’s an airbourne virus and it hates being outdoors! There are so many outdoor stages at Latitude (not least the fabulous Obelisk Arena with its huge expanse of field) and wherever possible we have increased the airflow around all areas. You’ll find the BBC Sounds tent has no sides this year, so it is more similar to the Sunrise Arena. The Comedy Arena and The Listening Post are both beautiful structures with plenty of chance for the breeze to gently pass through. If you head into the woods you’ll find lots of space to dance under the trees, from the BBC Music Introducing stage in the Lavish Lounge to the In The Woods area and all the way across the festival into the Faraway Forest.
For those areas that are a little more enclosed you will find more mitigations in place. We’ve invested in state of the art ultraviolet air purifiers (they look a bit like R2D2 so please say hello if you meet one!) and they are stationed in structures such as the Ballroom. These units purify huge volumes of air, but of course you are still very welcome to wear your masks either for your own reassurance or as a courtesy to others whenever you are in more enclosed areas. We’ve also changed how we manage some of the kids area, with a more sprawling layout, more spaced out seating and timed sessions rather than drop in and out programmes in the science tent so we can clean between each group of people enjoying the show. The Enchanted Garden remains a haven for youngsters to play and have fun in the open air.
We’ve made all bars and food traders cashless to speed up transactions and minimise the passing of cash from hand to hand. We’ve added sanitiser stations around the festival and encourage you to use them as often as you like. If you have yet to have a vaccination and would like to get a jab on site, the NHS Vaccination Bus will be on site over the weekend.
We’ve been working on all of these measures for months and we hope that you will join us in helping to minimise the risk of the virus spreading. Our entry requirements are there to reassure everyone so please do download the NHS app and take a screenshot or download your COVID pass before coming to the show. If you haven’t had a double vaccination that’s ok but you will need to upload a negative lateral flow test result to the NHS website to show at the gate and you will have to test again every 48 hours.