Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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61. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the number of persons who were tested for Covid-19 before and after each of the live test events that took place throughout summer 2021; the location of the testing results that took place as part of safety measures; the way the results are being used to develop plans for reopening the live entertainment sector; and the reason the guidelines drawn up for live events as discussed by the Return to Live Entertainment Working Group at its meeting on 5 June 2021, were never published or used. [47946/21]

Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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My Department, in conjunction with the Live Entertainment Working Group, has developed guidance for the safe return to live events. This document called "Covid-19 Guidelines for Event Organisers and Venue Management" was published on my Department's website on the 14th of September and is available at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/publication/35bb8-covid-19-sectoral-guidance/

My Department assisted with a number of pilot events this year. These were necessary as a proof of concept for the safe management of events whilst COVID-19 is still circulating in our communities and in order to evaluate, inform and build confidence in the COVID-19 guidance and event management protocols developed to assist the sector.

The pilot events used a range of measures to mitigate against COVID-19 including reduced attendances, social distancing, mask-wearing, hand sanitising, contact tracing, the careful management of ingress and egress of audiences and spectators and appropriate ventilation for indoor events and, in some cases antigen testing.

Antigen testing was deployed for the concert event at IMMA on 3 July. 3,500 patrons were in attendance, of whom 500 were health care workers. The measures employed were reviewed and no cases of Covid-19 were linked to the Concert.On the 30September, a nightclub pilot event was held in the Button Factory in Dublin with 450 attendees, with all attendees receiving an antigen test prior to entry.