COVID-19 Restrictions in the UK

There are currently no coronavirus (COVID-19) restrictions in the UK. Check the COVID-19 rules for travel to Wales, including whether you need to take any tests.

Before the event

To reduce the spread of COVID-19, all registered participants attending RSECon23 in-person are strongly encouraged to test for COVID-19 (such as with a rapid antigen test) less than 24 hours before arrival at the event. While we encourage testing before travelling, tests will also be available on arrival. We will also check temperatures on arrival using a non-contact thermometer; any attendee showing an elevated temperature will be explicitly asked to test before they pick up their badge.

Registered participants must not attend the event in-person if they test positive for COVID-19 or are exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms.

If you feel unwell, exhibit symptoms or test positive for COVID-19 prior to the start of the conference, please contact [email protected]. If you are able and want to participate remotely, you will be refunded the difference between an in-person and remote ticket or fully refunded for registration if no longer able to participate, where applicable.

During the event

Lateral flow antigen tests will be provided to registered participants attending RSECon23 in-person who are strongly encouraged to self-test daily during the event.

The wearing of face masks is not currently mandatory in the UK and is a personal choice, but is recommended in crowded indoor settings by current Welsh Government guidance. Face masks can help reduce the chance of you spreading infection to others, especially in crowded and enclosed spaces, and may protect you from becoming infected. Registered participants attending the event in-person are encouraged to bring sufficient masks to last for the duration of the workshop, however disposable medical face masks will also be provided. 

The RSECon23 event venue is fully climate controlled and conducts regular contact cleaning and checks. Sanitizer is available throughout the venue and the cleaning team regularly disinfects communal areas.

Social distancing will not be enforced during the event, however, there will be additional rooms/spaces for participants to spread out in as they choose. A traffic light badging system (inclusive of colour vision deficiency) will also be available for in-person participants to signal what level of interaction/contact they are comfortable with if they wish, indicating for example:

  • Red triangle: No contact please, keeping my distance.
  • Amber circle: Limited contact please, some distance preferred. 
  • Green square: No social distancing necessary.

Participating in the system to indicate your interaction/contact level will be optional, however please respect those who have indicated what level of interaction/contact they are comfortable with. In addition, if someone would like a side conversation with you and requests that you wear a mask we would strongly encourage you to accommodate the request.

There is an outdoor patio/terrace as well as the beautiful beach available for participants who prefer to take their refreshments and meals outside in good weather. We recommend bringing a reusable travel mug to bring coffee and tea outside. Please note that Tuesday’s social events will be held indoors in external venues; we will provide more details on the COVID-19 measures at these venues closer to the time.

If any in-person participant receives a positive COVID-19 test result either during or within 48 hours after the conclusion of RSECon23, there will be a designated point of contact to report to (details will be provided closer to the event). Our team will connect with the participant to offer support, ask some questions about their presence at the event and who they may have been in contact with. If you test positive during the event, you must not return to the event. If you are able, you are welcome to continue participating remotely (for example, via your hotel room), and you will be refunded for registration pro-rata based on how much of the event you were able to attend in-person (and where your attendance has not been supported by the Society).

Changes

If UK government COVID-19 restrictions or Welsh government COVID-19 restrictions are updated, these policies may be changed on limited notice as circumstances develop. If at any time this policy is less stringent than compliance with the latest UK government guidelines, the guidelines will supersede this policy.

License

This COVID-19 policy is licensed under a Creative Commons – Attribution 4.0 International (CC-BY 4.0) license. It was amended from CW23’s Participation guidelines.