"With most folks getting vaccinated, the world is slowly opening up, but do you still need COVID-19 testing at your event? With this newfound confidence comes new challenges. You will have Cousin Sue who refuses to get vaccinated or Uncle John who is worried about new variants. One way to alleviate all these concerns is to continue to put priority on testing for your event and giving your guest options. Unlike weddings, you want more than one.
Healthcare and local professionals emphasize the importance of COVID-19 testing saying, “Even if you’ve already been vaccinated, if you’re showing symptoms, it’s better to just go ahead and test,” Jordi Shelton, Central Shenandoah Health District’s Communications Specialist, said as cases have been increasing for the past 44 days. “Don’t take the risk.”
Since testing is the main tool to determine if someone has an active infection, testing is the cornerstone for determining if someone is safe and healthy to be around.
- Get the right paperwork: depending on your location, your local Health Department might require an application or a permit. Be sure to do the research and submit early as the departments are currently understaffed and overwhelmed.
- Confirm guest quantity: you’ll want to work with your venue and planner and see how many guests are allowed and then how many will actually be attending. This will give you a good idea of how many tests you’ll need and even what the venue will allow.
- Budget: It’s important to include room in your budget to account for testing. Ask your venue for a recommendation for a testing company or have your planner reach out and get quotes from various companies.
- Set Clear Expectations: you don’t want to keep your guests in the dark. Be up front with them regarding the testing and clearly outline what you’ll need from them regarding testing and safe travel.
If you are not sure about incorporating COVID-19 testing at your event, it is important to remember testing is the cornerstone for determining if someone has an infection or not. Without testing, individuals can attend your event with COVID-19 which can result in more guests becoming infected.
Get COVID-19 testing at your event and protect those in attendance.
