THE annual post-matric Ballito Rage festival has been cancelled after 36 people tested positive for Covid-19.
“We take the safety of all our customers, staff and suppliers extremely seriously. It is for this reason that the event organisers have taken the decision to cancel the remainder of Ballito Rage,” organisers said in a statement on Wednesday.
Thousands of young people, many being matrics, attend this event annually to celebrate the end of their high school careers.
The post-matric festival opened on Tuesday with several Covid-19 protocols in place. However, after testing more than 1000 people, 32 cases were identified in guests and four in staff members.
Last year’s event has been widely considered as a super-spreader, after more than 800 people were infected with Covid-19.
Organisers said on Tuesday that all remaining staff and all guests underwent Covid-19 tests at the testing centre near the event site before entering the event.
“Between 2pm and 10pm, 940 guests and staff were tested and 32 guests and four staff presented positive results. The Department of Health was on site and worked together with our team to conduct contact tracing and ensure isolation of positive individuals and staff as per government protocols.”