Festival-goers attending Reading & Leeds will need to prove their COVID-19 status, despite the twin festivals taking place after next week’s “freedom day”.

On July 19, most lockdown and social distancing restrictions will be lifted in England and festivals and gigs have been given the green light to go ahead.

In posts on the official Reading and Leeds Festival Facebook pages, festival organisers set out the entry requirements that will be in place in August. “Just like many other festivals and events, Reading and Leeds Festival will ask all ticket holders aged 11 and over to demonstrate their COVID-19 status before entering the festival,” the posts read.

Ticket-holders will be asked to provide either proof of full vaccination, with the second dose received at least 14 days before the festival, a negative NHS lateral flow test taken prior to travel on the day of arrival at the event, or proof of natural immunity based upon a positive PCR test within 180 days of the festival.

If the latter was taken in the weeks before the festival, you must also have self-isolated for 10 days after receiving the result.

Reading & Leeds will take place between August 27-29 and will be headlined by Stormzy, Catfish And The Bottlemen, Post Malone, Disclosure, Liam Gallagher and Queens Of The Stone Age.

The government has encouraged businesses and large event organisers to use so-called “COVID passports” – proof of double-vaccination, negative test or recovery from coronavirus – after the restrictions are lifted on July 19 in a bid to limit the spread of infection at events. However, such initiatives will not be mandatory.

Some venues in England, including London’s 100 Club, have said they won’t ask for proof of vaccination or a negative test on the door. The Music Venue Trust’s CEO Mark Davyd told NME he “strongly encourages audiences to look at venue websites, look at their social media and find out what each specific venue is doing that’s relevant to their particular characteristics, their location and demographic”.

Last month, it was reported that a major review into reopening clubs on July 19 was being led by Michael Gove, who believes that testing will prove to be “too much hassle” for both the public and businesses.

Michael Kill, the CEO of the Nighttimes Industries Association, said tests could put punters off from going to small venues. “If you are in a late-night London pub and thinking of going on to the club around the corner, there’s a good chance that having to take a test would make you question whether to bother,” he said.

The latest coronavirus cases in the UK show a total of 51,870 new cases today (July 16) and 49 deaths.