Entertainment Industry Gets Ready To Reopen

Following months of closure due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the entertainment industry is getting ready to reopen.

Special measures imposed to contain the spread of the virus under the Disaster Risk Management Act were recently announced by Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, while delivering a statement to the House of Representative.

The changes to events and entertainment protocols were crafted by the Ministries of Health and Wellness, Local Government and Rural Development, and Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, working in tandem with industry practitioners.

Measures for the entertainment sector will take effect on July 1, 2021. Small events, determined as 60 per cent of useable square footage, may resume with a maximum of 100 patrons, including organisers and support personnel.

These small events include indoor concerts, parties, round robins, festivals, community events and corporate functions. Persons can make applications for permits through their local authorities, who will work with them to ensure that the protocols are in place for a safe event.

Meanwhile, organisers of large events, including stage shows, church conventions, conferences and crusades, must first apply for approval through the Ministry of Culture, Gender Entertainment and Sport.

The Ministry will review the application to see that it meets the requirements, and once satisfied, it will forward the application to the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM), which will then consult with the Ministry of Health and Wellness, the Municipal Corporation and other relevant authorities.

The Prime Minister also announced that the Government will be providing support to the sector by waiving the fees for certain government-owned venues.

However, organisers would be required to pay for the operating costs, such as utilities and security.

Executive Director of Kingston Creative Limited and a member of the recently formed Cultural and Creative Industry (CCI) alliance, Andrea Dempster Chung, welcomes the new measures announced for the summer.

“While we really applaud the direction, in terms of it not being not just an absolute number 10, it’s defined on the space, so it is no longer absolute, it is relative to the space and type of venue and that’s a great direction to go in,” she told JIS News.

However, she said that more specific measures tailored to the many sub-sectors of the industry are needed.

“It is really very wide and varied and you could imagine the protocols for a book reading are very different from the protocols for a dancehall session,” she added.

She argued that the hosting of different types of events and the possibility of contagion occurring at these functions would require “a broader more inclusive type of consultation”.

Should there be a surge in COVID-19 cases following the opening of the sector, Mrs. Chung said that Jamaicans should not ascribe the blame solely on the hosting of events.

“The opening of events is not happening in a vacuum, there are a number of other things, in terms of incoming travel, in terms of increases in different areas. Churches and offices have been hosting people since this thing started. The business process outsourcing (BPO) sector has been going, and the hotels have been staffed,” she said.

“In a way, the cultural and creative industries have been holding strain, so that other sectors could be balanced and right now we don’t want – oh, events have been opened and there is a spike. We need people to understand how all of these things interconnect and interrelate,” Mrs. Chung added.

Co-convenor of the CCI alliance, Latoya West Blackwood, said the alliance will be doing its part to ensure compliance among its members who are determined to facilitate the success of the current dispensation.

“I think all of us in the alliance are concerned about public health. We are parents. We are business people. We want to balance lives and livelihoods as well. We are not just focused on making money and being selfish,” she emphasised.

Mrs. Blackwood, who is also the outgoing Chairman of the Book Industry Association of Jamaica, said the alliance will continue to offer its services and creativity as it works with the governing authorities to ensure a safe and successful reopening.

“As an alliance, we will do our best to share knowledge, encourage best practices among members and to continue to make ourselves available for consultation, which we really believe should be inclusive,” she added.

The CCI, an alliance of cultural and creative industry stakeholders, includes the Book Industry Association of Jamaica, Kingston Creative Limited, Dancers of Jamaica, Association of Rastafarian Creatives, Jamaica Film and Television Association, Johnny Live Production Limited and John John Music Limited, the Jamaica Photography Society and the Jamaica Reggae Industry Association (Ajaria).

The CCI also comprises literary festivals, cultural and museum tours, film and music performances and parties.