After A Year Without Concerts & Gigs, Creative Industry Activities Are Now Allowed in M’sia

By Karissa Lund • 10 Mar 2021 in News

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The government has announced that activities under the creative industry, including live events, will be allowed starting today (10 March) in both conditional and recovery movement control order areas, with strict SOPs in place.

Live events include official government programmes, television programmes, music, dance, theatre, musical comedies, cultural events, as well as live streaming.

Senior Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said that live events with the presence of an audience – 50% of the premises capacity in conditional MCO areas and attendance according to the size of the premises in recovery MCO areas – will be allowed.

Pre-registration or ticket sales are to be done online, while physical distancing between audience has to be at least 1.5m. Physical distancing among musicians, artists and dancers has to be at least 2m.

Maybe our music festival will look like this? (source: Music Feeds)

“Food and drinks are to be pre-ordered and packed. It is also compulsory for organisers to play community service messages from the government on Covid-19 before and after an event or programme,” said Ismail at his 5pm announcement on Tuesday (9 March).

Outdoor filming in both conditional and recovery MCO states, on the other hand, will also be allowed and is subject to SOPs, he said – adding that performances at hotel lounges had also been given the green light with only 50% capacity to be allowed.

Recently, the Communications and Multimedia Ministry had brought up the matter as the MCO had caused the livelihood of around 300,000 people to be affected. Many industry players are happy with the recent announcement while some are cautious of new challenges.

“We feel a huge sense of relief as most arts organisations and event organisers are at breaking point… we now have a shot of surviving this whole nightmare and start our road to recovery,” says KLPac’s co-founder Datuk Faridah Merican.

“We’re grateful for this announcement. To be honest, we were afraid that the arts would be left behind. Now, we can reopen and people in theatre can get back to work,” says Datin Jane Lew Siew Ting, DPAC founder.

Live Fact owner, Mak Wai Hoo responded on Facebook stating that, “A whole year of waiting and now it’s finally over. No particular excitement because new challenges and trials have just begun.”