Montalto wedding reception row: FULL STATEMENT from the venue over alleged Covid guideline breaches

The Montalto Estate has issued a statement saying that these are still “early days” of easing out of the lockdown and that “lessons will be learnt”, after footage emerged of people dancing and congregating at a wedding reception at the venue.
By Adam Kula
Published 27th Aug 2020, 12:38 BST
Updated 27th Aug 2020, 13:09 BST
A video still of the eventA video still of the event
A video still of the event

The story led the Nolan Show this morning, because the footage appears to conflict with advice published by the NI government on July 10 about indoor weddings, cautioning against communal dancing.

Added to this is the fact that just three days ago, the Northern Ireland Office had issued a tweet saying: “‘Ultimately we want all our customers and visitors to feel as safe and comfortable as possible’ - Keith Reilly from @MontaltoEstate in Co Down talks about the measures they took to ensure a safe re-opening.”

THe full statement from Montalto reads as follows:

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“Over the past few months and ahead of our reopening, The Carriage Rooms at Montalto has worked closely with third-party health and safety advisors to implement the necessary procedures to provide a Covid-19 compliant environment for all our staff and to enable our couples to enjoy their wedding day with

their friends and family.

“Following a Covid-19 risk assessment, we put in place a range of measures to help us manage the risk at our venue.

“This includes: track and trace procedures, social distancing measures, specific signage, sanitising stations, rigorous cleaning regimes and an app for table service.

“We are fully committed to ensuring that the measures are met at our venue.

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“As we work hard to implement our processes, in these very early days of our re-opening, we are aware that there are occasions where lessons will be learnt.  “Any concerns brought to our attention have been fully reviewed and responded to as swiftly as possible to ensure the guidance is met.

“We recently held our first and only wedding to date at the venue, after restrictions were eased.

“Since then we have met with relevant stakeholders to review and discuss any areas that require additional focus.

“We have received preliminary feedback which has already been implemented.

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“As we navigate our way through these unique and challenging times for our industry, we will continue to work closely with relevant bodies to ensure that we consistently review our measures and adjust as advised.”

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Related topics:Northern Ireland