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40,000 revellers descend on Latitude Festival, despite ‘pingdemic’ warnings
Latitude, the first full-capacity festival, has opened up after months of restrictions that saw large events fade into a distant memory.
Since Freedom Day, Brits have started to enjoy the liberties of socialising in huge crowds without rules on distancing and face masks.
Latitude will welcome 40,000 festival-goers to their brightly coloured arena that is based in Henham Park in Suffolk.
The four-day festival, known for its music as well as theatre and literary performers, will host Bastille and The Chemical Brothers as headliners.
For those attending the festival, they must provide proof of a negative lateral flow test or a double vaccination certificate that will allow them to party with reduced risk.
A statement on Latitude’s website says: "We have been working extremely hard to make sure that Latitude Festival can go ahead safely at full capacity.
"After much discussion with the Government, I can now officially announce that we will be going ahead and that we will be joining the 3rd phase of the Event Research Programme as a test event."
However, many worry that the NHS track and trace app which instructs isolation for those who have been near to a positive case may lead to a "pingdemic".
As large-scale venues open, businesses have noticed that swathes of employees are unable to work after being told to isolate.
Pub giant Greene King was forced to shut 33 pubs before Freedom Day occurred as have other chains such as PureGym and Iceland under immense staff shortages.
Worries about the impact of stopping restrictions on large-scale events have been followed by the PM's recent announcement that club-goers will require a certificate confirming their double vaccination status in September
In light of a possible fourth wave in the Autumn and a recent drop in the uptake of vaccines, the government may use the requirement of a vaccine passport in many crowded venues to increase the rate of vaccinations.
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