Covid-19 rules: What to expect when live indoor performances resume on Nov 1

• NAC listed the rules and permitted venues for live indoor performances in an advisory
• Safety measures include limiting the number of unmasked performers to 10 and only five of them can be singers
• There also must be no free-standing audiences 
• Live performances at food-and-beverage outlets and wedding receptions are still banned

SINGAPORE — When live indoor performances resume from Sunday (Nov 1), singers sharing a stage should try not to position themselves directly opposite each other and are encouraged to sing away from each other. Audience members should also not sing or dance along.

These are part of numerous safety measures listed in an advisory by the National Arts Council (NAC) on Wednesday, as a follow-up to the Ministry of Health’s Oct 20 announcement that live indoor performances would be allowed to resume at more venues from Nov 1.

It was said then that two zones of up to 50 audience members each will be permitted at such performances, but the announcement did not go into which venues will be allowed to host the performances.

NAC now states that the permitted venues will include performing arts venues, premises of arts and culture organisations, art galleries, some museums, hotel ballrooms and function rooms, as well as community centres and venues managed by the People’s Association.

Some event spaces were also pre-selected as permitted venues.

They include Resorts World Sentosa, Marina Bay Sands, Changi Exhibition Centre, Singapore Expo Convention and Exhibition Centre, Suntec Convention Centre, Capitol Theatre, F1 Pit Building, indoor venues on Sentosa Island, Pasir Panjang Power Station, and indoor performance spaces on Royal Caribbean International and Dream Cruises.

NAC said venue owners or managers should log onto the Ministry of Trade and Industry’s Go Business portal from Nov 1 to confirm if they are allowed to host an indoor live performance.

However, it stressed that live performances are still banned at food-and-beverage establishments and wedding receptions “regardless of venue”.

This is because there will be a higher likelihood of individuals mingling and talking while not wearing their masks. 

The council also pointed out that higher-risk activities such as singing and the playing of wind or brass instruments are also not allowed to resume at corporate or enterprise events such as product launches.

SAFETY RULES AT A LIVE GIG

Safety regulations must be observed for live performances, and they include limits on the number of production crew and performances who can work without their masks, as well as rules on how much distance there should be on stage, backstage, between performances and among the audience.

NAC said that the rules were developed by consulting arts and culture stakeholders, and taking into account the learning points and feedback from a number of live performance pilots, which had been conducted from Sept 11.

For a start, NAC said that audiences should not move around the venue during the event, so there must be no free-standing zones during any live performance, although they may move from point to point in their groups in between performance segments.

Audiences have to remain masked and there should be no more than five people a group, in line with national guidelines on group sizes for gatherings. There should be no physical interaction or mixing between groups, and the groups must be seated at least a metre apart from each other.

The following is a rundown of some of the more detailed rules for a live performance:

For audiences

• No participation by singing or dancing, although speaking at a low volume while remaining masked is allowed

• No physical interaction with performers, so do not expect autograph or photograph sessions or to be invited on stage

• Audiences are to keep a safe distance of 3m from performers at all times, so venues without a clearly defined stage area will have floor markings to mark out this distance

• “Due to the trajectory of droplet projection”, a safe distance of more than 3m is encouraged if the live performance is taking place on a stage that places performers at a higher vantage point

• There will be no intermissions or receptions before or after performances

• From Nov 24, there will be another requirement to check in by either scanning the QR code using the TraceTogether mobile application or by presenting the TraceTogether token (that are being distributed nationwide) to be scanned

For performers and crew

• Only up to 30 of them are allowed onstage and backstage at any given time

• Only up to 10 performers can be unmasked at any given time. Of the 10, only up to five of them can be singers

• Unmasked performers should try to wear face shields while performing

• On stage, performers should maintain a distance of at least 1m from each other. If they are unmasked performers engaged in singing or the playing of wind or brass instruments, then they should maintain at least a 2m distance from others

• Those playing wind or brass instruments should ensure that their instruments are fully intact, and refrain from training practices involving only parts of the instrument, such as buzzing their mouthpieces or playing with just the lead pipe, to prevent droplet transmission

• Liquids from instruments, such as condensation and saliva, should be collected and disposed of hygienically after the rehearsal or concert