Events Research Programme Information Events Research Programme
The UK Government’s publication of 22 February, ‘COVID-19 Response – Spring 2021’ (‘the roadmap’), describes plans to explore when and how events with larger crowd sizes, less social distancing, or in settings where transmission is more likely, will be able to return safely.
The Events Research Programme (“ERP”) will oversee this work, bringing findings from across different settings and different sectors to determine a consistent approach to lifting restrictions on events to inform Step 4 of the roadmap. In Step 4, which has been delayed, pending review until 19 July, the government hopes to be in a position to remove all legal limits on social contact, and to reopen remaining premises, including nightclubs, and ease restrictions on large events, performances, weddings and other life events. More information on the roadmap can be found
here.
The ERP will use pilot events incorporating research studies in April, May, June and July 2021 to build evidence on the risks associated with coronavirus transmission, the characteristics of events and surrounding activities, and the most effective steps for reducing these risks. The evidence from these studies will be used to inform the Government's decision around Step 4 of the roadmap and will shape government policy to bring about the phased return of fuller audiences to venues and events up and down England.
The pilot events will examine a range of factors, including but not limited to: indoor and outdoor settings; small and large venues; seated and standing events; different forms of audience participation; transport to and from events; duration; and ventilation.
Your Event
You will be attending the event you are interested in as a participant in a research study within the ERP. The Secretary of State has the power to designate such an event as being permitted for research purposes and therefore not subject to the legal restrictions which would apply to other events under Step 3 of the Government’s roadmap. Although steps are being taken to reduce the additional risk of COVID infection this might introduce, you should make sure you are comfortable with the risk set out below.
This event is the Royal London Series ODI between England and Sri Lanka taking place at The Bristol County Ground, Nevil Road, Bristol, BS7 9EJ.
Social distancing and face coverings will not be required inside the event but you must follow all directions provided by the event organiser at the event. Attendees will be required to follow existing Government guidance when travelling to and from the Royal London ODI and adhere to rules set out by the event organisers.
Testing For all ticket holders aged 11 and over, admission to the event will be subject to providing evidence of:
- A negative lateral flow result for COVID-19 carried out at home or in person at an Asymptomatic Test Site close to where you live or work, and which has been taken no more than 48 hours before attending the event. Proof of a negative lateral flow test must be demonstrated via text message or email; or
- For residents of England only, full vaccination status as demonstrated via the NHS App. Full vaccination status consists of two doses of a vaccine, plus a gap of two weeks since the second dose.
Attendees under the age of 11 will not need to present a negative lateral flow test (or be fully vaccinated) in order to attend the event.
A negative lateral flow test result means the test did not find signs of COVID-19 but does not guarantee that you or other participants do not have COVID-19, so you must keep following all social distancing advice before and after your attendance at the event.
A positive result from a lateral flow test means it’s likely you had COVID-19 when the test was done. You and anyone you live with must not attend the event and must self-isolate immediately.
For those aged 11 and over, it is a condition for you to enter the event that you present a negative lateral flow test or vaccine certification on entry to the event.
Research & Consent
Further details about the event, and what will be required of you to support the research at the event can be found in the Information Sheet. The document includes information about the purpose of the study, how your data will be used, and who to contact if you have further questions.
About You
Attendance at this event is at your own risk; you are liable should you test positive for COVID-19 following the event. It is your responsibility to decide whether or not it is appropriate for you to attend this event. This decision should be based upon your own health status and susceptibility to infection, and that of members of your family, social bubble or, where applicable, your support bubble, together with an assessment of your own attitude to the potential risks.
You will be required to take a lateral flow test pre-event or to provide your vaccine status via the NHS App in order to enter the event . There is no age limit on those attending these events and children under the age of 11 will not be required to take a lateral flow test pre-event.
You must respect the social distancing needs of others and avoid acting in any way that might risk the health of fellow participants and staff working at the venue. For example, if the event organiser requires you to wear a face covering at all times in the venue, or in certain sections, you must adhere to this requirement. At the same time, the event organiser and fellow participants should be aware that some disabled people may not be able to follow all the social distancing and other measures put in place, including the wearing of face coverings.
About Risk
No event can be completely safe. The Office for National Statistics estimate that for the week ending June 12 2021 about 1 in 520 people in England were infected with Coronavirus. The use of testing prior to the event will reduce the risk of people infected by COVID-19 attending the event but this risk cannot be entirely eliminated.
The latest updates on COVID-19 infections in the UK can be found
here.
Information Sheet for the Events Research Programme
This information sheet provides further details about the research studies that may be conducted at the event.
These studies are led by organisations who act as data controllers for the data they collect directly from each event.
If you have any concerns, issues or queries regarding the study or how it will be undertaken please contact
events-research-programme-queries@dcms.gov.uk.
1. Public Health England
Public Health England will be analysing the data available from test results to describe the prevalence of COVID -19 infection in those attending events, and whether this was transmitted to others at the venue. It will also be used to assess how well lateral flow tests perform in preventing outbreaks of COVID-19 occurring at these events.
Once the event has been completed, subject to attendees’ consent where necessary under the UK GDPR, data from those who attended will be linked to a dataset of future positive COVID-19 test results. The data will then be anonymised. This data package will be stored in a secure research environment for access by named researchers to undertake the analysis of the data.
What is the purpose of this study?
To investigate the impacts that performing pre-event lateral flow tests and attending the event have on the risk of transmission of COVID-19 at mass events. The impact of different levels of social distancing and face coverings on transmission risk will also be evaluated.
Who is doing the study?
The study is being delivered by Public Health England.
Who is being asked to participate?
Everyone who attends an Events Research Programme event.
Do I have to take part?
In order to enter the event you must have completed the pre-event testing. However, participation in the research study is voluntary and you are free to withdraw your participation at any time.
What will be involved if I take part in this study?
If you agree to take part, you may be asked to complete surveys in relation to your attendance at the event, as well as to agree for your personal data to be shared with Public Health England (as explained in the Privacy Notice below). If you are attending an event over multiple days, you will also be required to complete a new lateral flow test every three days to make sure you are still safe to attend the event.
What are the advantages/benefits and disadvantages/risks of taking part in the study?
The benefit is the opportunity to contribute to the research around how events can restart safely during the pandemic. There is a small risk that your pre-event lateral flow test may be a false positive. There are also risks associated with attending the event itself (please see section above “About you” and “About risk”).
Can I withdraw from the study at any time?
Yes you can withdraw your participation at any time. You can do this by contacting
events-research-programme-queries@dcms.gov.uk.
Will the information obtained in the study be confidential?
Yes, all information will be held confidentially. The research analysis will be performed on anonymous data and no identifiable information will be published.
What will happen to the results of the study?
Public Health England will use the results to write a report which will inform Government policy around how events can be delivered safely during the pandemic.
Who has reviewed this study?
The Public Health England Research Ethics and Governance group has approved this study.
Who do I contact in the event of a complaint?
If you would like to make a complaint, please contact
events-research-programme-queries@dcms.gov.uk
Privacy NoticeWho is collecting my personal data?
The Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) is facilitating the collection of your personal data as part of the UK Government’s Events Research Programme (“ERP”). We are a controller of this personal data for the purposes of data protection laws. As part of the ERP, your personal data will also be processed by:
- Event organisers or ticketing agents from whom you purchase tickets for the event;
- Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) as the controller responsible for NHS Test and Trace; and
- Public Health England (PHE), an executive agency sponsored by the DHSC.
Anonymous data will be used by researchers for the purpose of the ERP studies (as explained in the Information Sheet above).
Why are we collecting your data?
We are organising the collection of your personal data in order to assess and monitor the risks associated with COVID-19 transmission for participants attending mass events, and to understand the extent to which mitigation measures can effectively address these risks.
The event organiser or ticket agent will initially collect your personal data to allow them to permit you entry to the event. We organise the sharing of this personal data by the event organiser or ticket agent directly to the DHSC and PHE in our capacity as the facilitator of the ERP.
DHSC will collect your personal data via NHS Test and Trace when you use the NHS App or the NHS Covid-19 app. You can find out more about the personal data collected by NHS Test and Trace and how it is used by viewing their privacy notice at:
Test and Trace: overarching privacy notice - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
We may also use your contact information to request that you participate in a survey on behalf of NHSx to help understand users’ experience of the NHS App when attending the event.
What is the lawful basis for processing my personal data?
Despite not handling any personal data directly, as the organiser of the collection of personal data for the ERP, we are the controller because we exercise overall control over the personal data being processed.
When we process your personal data (), the following lawful bases will apply:
- Article 6(1)(e): processing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in the controller. For example, when we direct the event organiser or ticket agent to contact you in relation to the ERP; and
- Article 6(1)(a): you have given consent to the processing of personal data for one or more specific purposes For example, when we direct the event organiser or ticket agent to share specific personal data relating to you with the parties listed above for a specific ERP study explained to you in the Information Sheet.
Admission to the venues implies that you have had a negative lateral flow test result, or are fully vaccinated, all of which are classed as health data. However, we will not be processing any health data when you enter the event as only visual checks will be carried out to confirm evidence of a negative Lateral Flow Test result or vaccination status. No such information will be recorded.
When your personal data is shared with the DHSC and PHE, the relevant data may imply that you have a negative Lateral Flow Test result or vaccination status. This is classed as health data and categorised as special category data under data protection laws. When processing special category data (such as data concerning health), we need an additional lawful basis and have determined that the following legal basis may apply:
- Article 9(2)(g): processing is necessary for reasons of substantial public interest (with a basis in law)
When processing special category data for reasons of substantial public interest, we also need a condition for processing under the Data Protection Act 2018 and the following condition applies:
- Schedule 1, Part 2, Section 6 – statutory and government purposes relating to public health and in particular the management of the COVID-19 public health emergency.
The lawful basis that we rely on to process your personal data will determine which of the rights are available to you (please see section ‘What are your data protection rights?’). If we hold personal data about you in different parts of DCMS for different purposes, then the legal basis we rely on in each case may not be the same.
What personal data do we collect?
DCMS does not directly collect or see any of your personal data. The personal data is collected directly by the event organisers or ticketing agents. This personal data includes first name, last name, address, postcode, gender, date of birth, phone number, ticket order number and email addresses, as well as whether your ticket to the event was scanned.
Where you have provided your consent to your personal data being used as part of the research study, the event organiser or ticketing agent will, at the instruction of DCMS, share that personal data directly with the Department for Health and Social Care / NHS Test and Trace and Public Health England.
When you take a lateral flow test or test positive for COVID-19, the data will remain with DHSC (as the controller for NHS Test and Trace). This personal data includes health data. You can find out more about what data is collected by NHS Test and Test by viewing their Privacy Notice at:
Test and Trace Privacy Notice.
If a visual check is carried out to verify the evidence (result of Lateral Flow test or vaccine status) you provide to enter the event, we will not collect or process your personal data at the point you enter the event.
What is personal data?
Personal data is any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural living person, otherwise known as a ‘data subject’. A data subject is someone who can be recognised, directly or indirectly, by information such as a name, an identification number, location data, an online identifier, or data relating to their physical, physiological, genetic, mental, economic, cultural, or social identity. These types of identifying information are known as ‘personal data’. Data protection law applies to the processing of personal data, including its collection, use, and storage.
Once an event has been completed, personal data from those who attended will be linked to a dataset containing test results and vaccination status. The data will then be anonymised and used for research purposes only. Once the data is anonymised, it will no longer be personal data.
How long is your personal data retained for?
Please refer to the links below to the respective privacy notices of DHSC (in relation to NHS Test and Trace) and PHE for information on how long your data is retained for by DHSC and PHE where they are acting as a controller of your personal data (as explained above):
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nhs-test-and-trace-privacy-information/test-and-trace-overarching-privacy-notice#how-long-we-keep-your-personal-datahttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/phe-privacy-information/privacy-information
No personal data is held directly by DCMS. As the controller of the ERP, DCMS will determine the retention period as follows. Personal data will be retained for as long as needed to fulfil the purposes outlined above, in line with our and DHSC and PHE’s public task or for a period specifically required by applicable regulations or laws.
When determining the relevant retention periods, the following factors may be taken into account:
- our public task;
- legal obligation(s) under applicable law to retain data for a certain period of time;
- statute of limitations under applicable law(s);
- (potential) disputes; and
- guidelines issued by relevant data protection authorities.
Anonymous data may be retained for longer periods (personal data which has been anonymised will no longer be personal data).
What will happen if I do not provide this data?
If you are aged 11 and over, you must provide evidence of a negative lateral flow test or full immunisation to be permitted entry to the event. Participation in the surveys and research studies is entirely voluntary.
Automated decision making
We will not use your data for any automated decision making.
Data transfers outside of the UK
We will not send your personal data outside the U.K.
What are your data protection rights?
You have rights over your personal data under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA 2018). These include:
- Your right to get access to your information – you have the right to ask for a copy of any information about you that is held or controlled by DCMS.
- Your right to update or correct your information – you have the right to ask for any information held about you that you think is inaccurate, to be corrected.
- Your right to restrict how your information is used – you have the right to ask for any of the information held about you to be restricted, for example, if you think inaccurate information is being used. However, this is not an absolute right and we may need to continue to use your information and we will tell you if this is the case.
- Your right to object to your information being used – you can ask for any information held about you to not be used. However, this is not an absolute right, and we may need to continue using your information, and we will tell you if this is the case.
- Your right to get your information deleted – this is not an absolute right, and we may need to continue to use your information, and we will tell you if this is the case.
- Your right to request that information is provided to you in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format (data portability).
Our contact details for questions, complaints or if you’d like to exercise your data protection rights
If you wish to exercise any of the above rights, you can do so by contacting our Data Protection Officer (DPO) using the details below:
Data Protection Officer
The Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport
100 Parliament Street
London
SW1A 2BQ
Email:
DCMSdataprotection@dcms.gov.uk
If you’re unhappy with the way we have handled your personal data and want to make a complaint, please write to the DCMS Data Protection Officer or the Data Protection Manager at the relevant agency in the first instance. You can contact the DCMS Data Protection Officer using the details above.
Contact details for the UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office
If you are not satisfied or your complaint is unresolved, you can contact the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO). The ICO is the supervisory authority for data protection legislation and maintains a full explanation of these rights on their website using the details below:
Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
More information can be found at
https://ico.org.uk/