Don’t Let Coronavirus Crash Your Christmas Party

Christmas isn’t cancelled! This may well change in the face of pandemic unpredictability but, at time of writing, there have been no official government recommendations or restrictions against in-person events this Christmas and new year.

This also means the return of the company Christmas party. Whether you anticipate or dread them, there must always be an effort to make the party as safe as possible for guests and staff – which includes being safe from COVID-19.

Should you be having a Christmas party in the first place?

First of all, you need to decide whether it is worth having a Christmas party at all. The COVID-19 pandemic is ongoing and the case load is still too high. There are concerns that the Omicron variant will undermine efforts to end the pandemic and, even if it doesn’t, further variants will occur while the virus is spreading and mutating at such high rates.

Choosing not to have an in-person Christmas party will definitely reduce the risk of a guest catching COVID but we also understand the importance of such events for morale, especially after what has been almost two years of shared sacrifice and anxiety.

Whether or not to go arrange or attend a party is a decision that is left up to each individual and a range of complex factors: company size, age of guests, travel requirements, nature of work and so on.

We will not make a firm recommendation one way or the other, though we do recommend that everyone who would be attending gets to have their say.

Tips for a COVID-safe Christmas party

After living with the virus for so long, we have found proven methods to dramatically decrease the risk of transmitting coronavirus. These should all be drilled in by now but, in case you need a reminder, we recommend the following:

• Require a negative coronavirus test: rapid lateral flow tests for coronavirus are still available for free from the GOV.UK website, allowing anyone attending an event to check if they are infected before they leave the house.
• Enquire about the venue’s pandemic measures: hand washing stations at entrances and exits, ventilation, social distancing, face masks in communal areas, regular cleaning and contact-free orders should be expected from any responsible venue operating while the pandemic continues.
• Provide a virtual alternative: no one should feel obligated to attend an in-person event if they are not comfortable with the risk – by providing an alternative virtual Christmas event, people who do not want to mix in-person do not miss out on socialising.
• Resist the urge to pub crawl: sticking to a single venue means less mixing with other people and less opportunities for the coronavirus to hop from one to another, so save the pub crawl for post-COVID celebrations.

The usual security risks haven’t gone away

On top of keeping everyone safe from COVID-19, guests also need to be kept safe from the ever-present threats of theft and assault. Our usual advice for parties held at offices or external venues still applies, with extra vigilance unfortunately recommended against drink and needle spiking.

To summarise:

• Track attendance to avoid unwanted guests and remove anyone not invited to the party.
• Hire private security if you are hosting the event at your office or if you are unsatisfied with venue security.
• Nominate at least one individual to be in charge of health and safety and evacuation procedures.
• Arrange pre-booked travel for your guests to help them get home safely.

And don’t forget that if you need help with any of the above, Magenta Security also provide event management services that can help you simplify your security and party planning with one package. It’s not too late to make your Christmas safe.

Magenta Security provide award winning security services throughout the UK. We are in the top 5% of ACS approved contractors and were the first security company in Europe to be awarded ISO 14001 for our environmental management systems.