Members of the country’s local entertainment sector can now breathe a sigh of relief, after Prime Minister Andrew Holness on Tuesday (June 22) gave the green light for the sector’s reopening come July 1.

Speaking during the House of Representatives in a ministerial statement on Tuesday (June 22) Holness articulated his awareness of the subsequent loss of livelihood that has befallen many members of the local entertainment sector due to the industry’s closure over the last 11 months.

In light of this, in addition to the country’s current COVID-19 climate which has been marred by declining positive infection case counts, the government has come to the decision that the resumption of the entertainment and event sector is a viable possibility.

According to Holness, “In crafting the approach to events and entertainment, we have paid careful attention to reducing and mitigating the risk on the one hand, while optimising the social and economic benefits of a phased resumption on the other.”

Categories for Events

With this in mind, the government is contemplating two categories of events – small events with no more than 100 people in total including organisers and support personnel, and large events with over 100 people.

Small events will generally include outdoor concerts, outdoor parties, round robins, festivals, community events, corporate mixers, handing over and groundbreaking ceremonies, whereby event organizers will be allowed to make applications for permits through local authorities and be given governmental support to ensure protocols are in place for a safe event.

For small indoor events, that is, events that are held in a covered area with a controlled entry, the Government has put a cap on the number of people who can attend, which is to be determined as 60 per cent of the usable square footage not including bathrooms and kitchens divided by 40 square feet which is the social distancing provision or 100 people, whichever is lower.

Despite this, the maximum capacity for public sector events such as handing-overs or ground-breaking has been limited to 50 people.

Guidance for hosting large events

As it relates to large events, Holness said organizers of these events will go through an additional layer of approval.

In the case of large events organisers will be required to first send an application to the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sports which will then review the application to see that it meets the requirements, and if satisfied, it will forward the application to the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM).

ODPEM will then consult with the Ministry of Health and Wellness, the Municipal Corporations, the police, fire and all other relevant authorities, and once all are satisfied that the application for the event to be held at the specified place and time has met the relevant protocols it ought to be guided by it will be approved.

He noted that large events would include stage shows, church conventions, conferences, crusades and festivals.

Holness stated that while the government will not mandate individuals to be vaccinated as a prerequisite for attendance at entertainment events, he said if private event holders wish to include such requirements to market their events, they are free to do so.

Government’s contribution to sector’s reopening

As a contribution to the sector’s reopening the prime minister indicated that the government is prepared to offer certain Government-owned venues to the organizers of large events rent-free.

The list of venues currently includes:

• Facilities under the management of the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport including the National Stadium complex and the Trelawny Stadium,14 Fort Rocky and Fort Charles as part of the Port Royal Entertainment Zone, Seville and the Ranny Williams Entertainment Centre; and
• Facilities under the management of the Port Authority of Jamaica including the Falmouth Pier and the Port Royal Pier.

In addition, Holness noted that the Municipal Corporations have agreed to reduce the cost for permits and licenses by 50 per cent.

In closing, he stated that to signal the reopening of the sector as well as to demonstrate how a large event could be hosted with the proper protocols, the government will be organising a concert on July 1, 2021, at the Port Royal Cruise Terminal in celebration of International Reggae Day.