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Plett Rage festival goers line up in front of the Banana Valley Community Hall in 2018.
Lulama Zenzile, Netwerk24
All Festival Rage events planned for 2020 and 2021 were postponed following a Covid-19 outbreak after the Ballito Rage held from November 27 to December 4.
The Joburg Rage had been scheduled for December 12 and 13, the Plett Rage for January 29 to February 6 and the event in Jeffreys Bay for December 15 to 22.
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According to Darren Sandras, spokesperson for the event organizers, the amended refund policies will be communicated in the coming days.
“Tickets for Plett Rage have been paused with immediate effect. This is to ensure that all necessary additional consultations can be made with relevant officials and stakeholders. For now, all Festival Rage events are postponed as we inquire. with relevant officials and stakeholders. More details can be shared as they become available, “said Sandras.
“We continued to communicate with all interested parties. All festival events were deemed compliant and the local health department and Durban Events Department gave the full go-ahead.”
“We are devastated that despite all the efforts before and during the festival and at all the venues controlled by Rage, some attendees still contracted Covid-19. [cooperating] fully with all authorities and stakeholders and we will continue to do so as necessary and we are making all available resources as necessary. ”
Quarantine assistants
On Sunday, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize urged attendees of the Ballito Rage Festival to get tested for Covid-19 and isolate themselves after attendees and staff tested positive.
“We confirm that we have now identified a number of confirmed Covid-19 cases arising from these super-spreading events. So, this means that if you attended any of these Rage events, you are now considered a contact,” Mkhize said in a statement.
“We now urge all Rage attendees to immediately go into a 10-day quarantine period in accordance with the Department of Health’s Guidelines on Quarantine and Isolation. We also urge all Rage attendees to test for Covid-19. “.
Mkhize also encourages parents to bring their children who had attended the festival for tryouts as soon as possible.
Rage festival organizers confirmed to News24 that four members of the event staff tested positive, while a Hillcrest doctor confirmed another 20 cases.
The Discovery medical scheme group also sent out an alert, warning its members that it is “detecting high rates of positive tests for Covid-19 in students returning from post-matrix celebrations in KwaZulu-Natal.”
‘Important security measures’
Large events had the potential to quickly spread the virus to multiple people. A super spread event is classified as when a single person transmitted the virus to more than eight people.
“Despite all efforts before and during the festival and at all Rage controlled venues, we regret receiving reports that some attendees subsequently tested positive for Covid-19. Additionally, we know that four staff members work on behalf of the vendors who have directly let us know that they tested positive, “Greg Walsh, CEO of G&G Productions, which organizes the festival nationwide, told News24 on Sunday.
He added that organizers had added “significantly more health and safety measures” this year to comply with Covid-19 regulations.
“Our complete Covid-19 plan was submitted (an 86-page document) to the local health department and Durban Events Department prior to the event. We had to comply with more than 20 additional regulations to get approval,” he said. .
These included pre-screening, daily temperature checks, strict mask wearing protocols, hand sanitizing facilities, cashless payments, limited site capacity, and personal protective equipment for staff.
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