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Indoor Performances in England Can Continue Under New Restrictions

The MU has been seeking to clarify the new rules for England in the past 24 hours. We’ve had confirmation that indoor performances in Covid-19 secure venues will be able to continue, but are awaiting further information.

Published: 10 September 2020 | 12:00 AM Updated: 28 April 2021 | 4:31 PM
Photograph of a musician playing a flute in a concert like setting, blurred in the background is a score on a stand and a number of other scores behind.
We have been assured that full guidance and a list of exemptions will be published before Monday. Photo credit: Shutterstock

We have received confirmation from DCMS that the new rules won't impact performers in Covid-19 secure venues like gig venues, concert halls and pubs if they are following published guidance, but test and tracing will be mandatory.

In Scotland, the limits are being reduced to a maximum of six people from two households from Monday, we're waiting for further clarification on how this will affect musicians. Unlike England, children under 12 will not be included. Wales and Northern Ireland have not announced any changes but restrictions are under discussion.

The six-person restriction will not apply to bands, choirs and other groupings of professional musicians taking part in planned Covid-19 secure performances and rehearsals. We are awaiting further clarification on how amateur groups and choirs may still be impacted.

We have been assured that full guidance and a list of exemptions will be published before Monday and we will of course let members know as and when that has happened, keep an eye on our twitter channel and our regular Covid-19 update emails.

Let us know what questions you want answers to

In the mean time we are gathering any questions that you might have to inform a new FAQ section next week. Let us know what questions you’d like to ask and we’ll try our best to cover them when we have more information, either by adding to our thread on twitter or emailing twitter@theMU.org

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