Guidelines Update

We are now all too familiar with the Government’s Plan for Living with Covid-19 and even more familiar with the Level 3 restrictions under which we are currently operating.

As it’s Christmas time, some Level 3 guidelines have been relaxed for December. Here’s a quick guide to the up to and after 18 December measures issued by the Department of the Taoiseach, updated on 7 December. The most relevant section is that organised indoor gatherings, with the exception of cinema, should not take place and outdoor gatherings of up to 15 people can take place. Here’s the legislation on which the current restrictions are based, SI 560 of 2020, and for your reference, the key information about which organisations can open in December is on pages 21-22.

Guidelines for arts organisation employers
For arts organisations as employers, the Government’s Work Safely Protocol COVID-19, National Protocol for Employers and Workers, updated at the end of November, is key. Arts centres and organisations that are open as workplaces should operate to this National Protocol for the safety of all employees, artists in residence as well as visiting artists, companies, cast and crew.  Here’s the final draft of Theatre Forum’s second edition of guidelines Arts Centres – Working during Covid-19, recently updated to take account of HSE, HSA and employer responsibility changes since the publication of the first edition of the Re-opening Arts Centres guidelines published last summer.

Guidelines for producers
For artists, cast and crew rehearsing, producing and recording work for broadcast, Theatre Forum’s Creating Work guidelines guidelines offer practical advice about making production and rehearsals safe. They are currently being amended and the second edition of these will be published at the end of this week.

Guidelines for arts centre cinemas
And finally, if you’re an arts centre and operating as a cinema, check that you are fully compliant with the Department’s Guidance for the Safe Operations of Cinemas during COVID-19.