After months of turbulence for members of the entertainment sector owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, Minister of Culture, Entertainment, Gender and Sports, Olivia Grange, has indicated that a final decision on the reopening of the sector will be announced on Tuesday, June 22.

Grange made the announcement while making her contribution to the 2021-2022 Sectoral Debat in Parliament on Tuesday (June 8).

According to the minister, “in preparation for the re-opening of the wider entertainment sector, we have engaged in consultations with members of the sector as well as colleagues in the Ministry of Health and Wellness, the Ministry
of National Security, the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development and the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management on the prevailing health conditions in the country as well as the specific protocols that would have to be employed for particular activities”.

She noted that “as with the resumption of sports, the resumption of entertainment will have to be a gradual process and we will also have to consider capacity limits as well as authorised venues where the necessary safety protocols can be implemented”.

To the voices who have argued that the Government has not been doing enough to facilitate an earlier reopening of the sector, Grange stated, “no matter what noise is made out there we’re gonna ensure it’s done the right way and the safe way”.

To facilitate the sector’s reopening in compliance with the proposed safety protocols the minister said, the entertainment ministry has compiled a list of venues that can be retrofitted in keeping with COVID-19 protocols.

In closing, Grange stated that arrangements are continuing to be made for finalising the sector’s reopening and appropriate announcements regarding this will be communicated soon.