NSW Health has ordered the organisers of a Hillsong youth camp to immediately stop singing and dancing at the event after a video of attendees partying without masks sparked public outrage.
Amid music festival and concert cancellations due to the Omicron wave, the megachurch was caught holding a three-day summer camp near Newcastle, north of Sydney, where attendees sang and danced maskless.
A Hillsong youth camp was caught breaching COVID-19 restrictions.
A video circulating on social media showed more than a 100 participants singing and dancing together inside a large tent.
Under NSW’s Public Health Order, singing and dancing is prohibited at music festivals, hospitality venues, nightclubs, entertainment facilities and major recreation facilities.
Health Minister Brad Hazzard said while the order does not apply to religious services, it does apply to major recreation facilities, which is defined as a “building or place used for large-scale sporting or recreation activities that are attended by large numbers of people, whether regularly or periodically”.
“This event is clearly in breach of both the spirit and intent of the order, which is in place to help keep the community safe,” he said.
Hillsong defended the camp, which is being held at the Glenrock scout camp south of Newcastle, saying it is not similar to a music festival.
“Our camps involve primarily outdoor recreational activities including sports and games. We follow strict COVID procedures and adhere to government guidelines,” it said.
“Outdoor Christian services are held during the camp but these are only a small part of the program.”
It said the video of attendees singing and dancing represented “only a small part of each service”.
Labor MP Jodie Harrison, whose electorate of Charlestown is where the festival is being held, said locals would be “rightly concerned” about the event.
“Locals would be worried about having so many people seeming to blatantly disregard the health orders and an organisation happy to be engendering that,” she said.
“I think it would be sensible to go beyond stopping singing and dancing and consider calling off the camp completely, especially when we have school going back in a couple of weeks’ time. It is irresponsible and outrageous.”
Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant said singing and dancing activities at large events present a high risk of COVID-19 transmission.
“NSW Health recognises the uncertainty COVID-19 has placed on the community and thanks people for their cooperation in complying with the regulatory settings in place to manage the risk during this current surge in COVID-19 cases,” she said.
NSW reported a record 92,264 new COVID-19 cases and 22 deaths in the 24 hours to 8pm on Wednesday night after the government mandated the registration of at-home test results.
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2022-01-13 09:10:52Z
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