The world we now live in differs vastly from the one we are accustomed to due to Covid-19. We’ve had to make a lot of changes in our life in order to keep ourselves and our families safe. That is why we have restructured Christmas at the Forum 2020 so that we can keep our exhibitors and the community as safe as possible by following the Department of Health and Wellness of Nova Scotia guidelines.
This year Christmas at the Forum will be held in the Multipurpose Center only, with approximately 100 booths, 7 weekends in a row. We will make sure we do not exceed maximum capacity of 200 attendees by providing an online reservation system which will also request your contact information in case we have to do contact tracing. When you book your ticket, you will be grouped in a specific time-slot.
We will have staff members scanning your ticket in a lineup outside to know the exact number of people who will enter the facility. We ask that you line up from the bottom of the entrance steps and along the left side of the Multipurpose Centre towards the back to make sure you are safe from the traffic. Stand on the ground markers every six feet to ensure physical distancing . If you are coming to the show with a friend or a group, you can all stand around the same marker. Staff members will scan your tickets outside, ask the screening questions and ensure there is physical distancing.
The screening questions are:
Are you sick or symptomatic?
Have you travelled outside of Atlantic Canada within the last 14 days?
Were you in close contact with someone with Covid-19?
Are you waiting for results of a Covid-19 test?
We will then escort the entire group inside the building as a cohort in order to ensure that you spread throughout the building. No hot food will be served at the show. Each group will have ninety minutes to shop, then they will leave and five minutes later another group will come in. This five minutes will allow time for the exhibitors to sanitize their booth and for staff to sanitize the most commonly used areas such as rails, door handles, bathrooms, etc.
The first hour and a half each day will be designated for vulnerable populations such as senior citizens and people with special needs.
It is very important to note that we may have to modify attendance or close the show due to public health circumstances. Any decisions made will be in consultation with the Chief Medical Officer of Health. If we have to close the show, you will be reimbursed the money you have paid for your ticket.
While we are working very hard to keep everyone safe, we cannot do it all alone. We need your help and cooperation during the show so that everybody can be safe. We ask that you read the following guidelines so that you will know what is expected of you:
– Provide us with contact information when buying your tickets so that contact tracing can be done if necessary.
– Answer screening questions at the show.
– Allow us to take your temperature at the show.
– Wear a face mask throughout the show.
– Use hand sanitizer often.
– Use hand sanitizer at the exhibitor’s booth before handling merchandize.
– Respect physical distancing at all times by following the directional arrows and standing on the physical distancing markers on the floor.
– Follow the signs to ensure physical distancing of people who are waiting to use the washrooms.
– Ensure that there will be a maximum of 3 people per washroom at any given time.
- Stay home if you are sick (even mild symptoms) or symptomatic.
- Stay home if you travelled outside of the four Atlantic provinces in the previous 14 days.
- Stay home if you have been in close contact of a case of Covid-19.
- Stay home if you are awaiting a Covid-19 test result.
- Read the most up to date list of symptoms provided as found on the 811 website and stay home if you have any:
These are: fever (i.e. chills/sweats) or cough (new or worsening) OR Two or more of the following symptoms (new or worsening): sore throat, runny nose/nasal congestion, headache, shortness of breath. - If you begin to feel ill at the show, wash your hands thoroughly, do not touch your mask, go to the room that we have designated as an isolation room until your ride gets there to bring you home.
– When you get home visit 811.novascotia.ca to complete the Covid-19 self-assessment.
We hope you will all come and support our exhibitors at Christmas at the Forum 2020. During these hard times of Covid-19, it will be good for you to escape and enjoy a small sense of ‘normalcy’.