Hillsong event Summer Camp has already been under fire for going ahead. But to make things worse, they’ve got stacks of much-needed Rapid Antigen Tests (RATs).
UPDATE: NSW Health has reportedly confirmed that the Hillsong Summer Camp event is in violation of public health orders and will be asked to stop. More info below.
Unless you’ve been living in an underground bunker (probably not a bad call at this point), you’d know how difficult it is to find RATs around Australia the moment. But guess what… free RATs will be given to each attendee of Hillsong’s Summer Camp.
Not only does each attendee get a free rapid antigen test before the festival, if the first test shows up positive, they get another free RAT, just to make sure.
Now, the chances of having a false positive RAT are extremely low. The chances of two false positives barely exists. So surely if an attendee was to test positive a second time, they’d be sent home to isolate. Of course not!
Anyone who gets two positive RATs will then be sent off to get a PCR test and clog up the testing lines even more, despite already testing positive… TWICE.
If you’ve been on Instagram recently, you probably saw a bunch of posts being shared, calling out the government for their blatant bias towards churches following the banning of singing and dancing at venues across NSW and Victoria.
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Almost every other festival and gig in these states have been cancelled or postponed due to a government ban on singing or dancing in any “hospitality venue, entertainment facility, nightclub, or major recreation facility”.
Obviously that doesn’t include Hillsong, or any church for that matter.
So the news that Hillsong have access to so many RATs further rubs salt into the wounds of every other musician who aren’t allowed to play a show. Not to mention the promoters, crew, and local communities that financially rely on music events.
This would be particularly infuriating for the organisers of Grapevine Gathering, who released this heartbreaking statement after they were forced to cancel just four days before their event.
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Sure, Hillsong could have bought the tests before there were mass shortages. But then during those mass shortages, they’ve sat there and watched, while boasting about their Summer Camp on social media.
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Where exactly did Hillsong procure their tests, while many pharmacies across the nation still can’t replenish their stocks to meet demand? Why exactly was this event – which looks awfully like a music festival – allowed to go ahead when so many others weren’t?
Anyway, look out for Happy’s debut into religious events next week.
UPDATE: As per The Daily Aus, NSW Health has confirmed that the Hillsong Summer Camp event is in violation of public health orders and will be asked to stop. A statement read:
“NSW Health has requested Hillsong immediately stop singing and dancing at an event being held in the Newcastle area.”
A polite ‘request’ is hardly what came to other festivals which have been asked to cancel, but hey, it’s a win for equity.
