Cautious approach at HVH

How we intend to move forward at the Village Hall from 19th July

As you will be aware, the government announcements that social distancing and mandatory mask wearing regulations are to be abandoned have met with mixed reception across the country. Some organisations, such as TFL, have said that mask wearing will still be mandatory on tube trains and buses.

As far as the Village Hall is concerned we have followed the rules as closely as possible encouraging social distancing, surface cleaning, mask wearing, etc. and I would like to thank everyone for complying with these initiatives.

Following the easing we will still be encouraging people to act sensibly and the responsibility for this will continue to lie with the event organiser.

Organisers know their attendees far better than us and it may well be that they wish to continue as if the easing had not been announced and that is perfectly fine.

If organisers decide to continue to make mask wearing mandatory that is fine too but they should have a plan in place on how to deal with people who refuse — regardless of their arguments, organisers should not feel that visitors have the right to come in without masks.

So the message to organisers: it's your event, your rules, and you have the final say.

On the other hand, organisers may wish to increase numbers and/or stop wearing masks — again, that is the organisers' prerogative but the requirement to clean surfaces before and after use remains in place, We must think of other hall users and aim to keep them safe.

The requirement for track and trace also remains. Visitors can use the NHS app and scan the QR code but I would prefer to continue to provide me with a list of attendees with contact details.

Organisers can do this either by email or on paper (in the black box by the front door). These lists are kept secure and destroyed after 21 days.

I realise the rules are different for children's activities and as long as those continue to be run in a responsible and safe manner, with surface cleaning before and after, the regulation easing should have little impact on those events.

Thank you again to all hall users — we do appreciate your custom and hope that you can continue to enjoy the facilities in a safe and responsible manner through these difficult times and beyond.

If you have any questions or would like clarification please ask.

Pete Summerskill
Village Hall Manager