Today’s (Tuesday) Isle of Wight Festival announcement has been met with a cautious welcome by the leader of the Isle of Wight Council.
Cllr Dave Stewart said the event should only go ahead in September should it be safe to do so – both for those attending the festival and the wider Island community.
However, he said he was reassured to hear that organisers were working closely with the relevant authorities and Public Health England to ensure all necessary precautions were in place to keep everyone safe.
Stewart: Any plans must be predicated on it being safe to proceed
Cllr Stewart said,
“It is clearly good news that the festival is not happening in June as it attracts so many visitors and it would not be safe at that time – indeed, it would not comply with the government roadmap. However, I now understand there are proposals for the event to move to September instead.
“Although it is likely we will be out of lockdown and ‘open for business’ as an Island in September, this is not definite and any plans must be predicated on it being safe for the festival to proceed, which will ultimately be a decision based on public health grounds. We have come too far to throw away all our hard earned efforts over the past 12 months to keep the Island safe during the Covid pandemic.
“I appreciate the desire to recharge our economic recovery and there will be a number of events that, if they do take place, will help us on that journey. However, all must be safe to do so and I expect the Island’s Safety Advisory Group (SAG) will be paying careful attention to this announcement as will Island residents.”
News shared by Isle of Wight council press office, in their own words. Ed
