The UK government revealed its ‘Covid 19 Winter Plan’ earlier this week, announcing as planned an end to national lockdown on the 2nd December. Although lockdown will cease, a newly revamped three-tier system will be reintroduced across England, with heightened restrictions for Tier 3 areas and a greater disparity between each tier.
There are three key objectives the government are aiming to achieve through their winter plan strategy, these are:
Bring R below 1 and keep it there on a sustained basis.
Find new and more effective ways of managing the virus and enabling life to return closer to normal.
Minimise damage to the economy and society, jobs and livelihoods. Education will be safeguarded in nurseries, schools, colleges and universities.
In order to ensure their goals are met, the government’s original tier system has been fine-tuned and is now clearer and stricter than before. Tier 3 areas will have much tighter controls imposed on them compared to Tier 1 areas, with the assigned tiers being reviewed fortnightly.
What does this mean for music?
For Tier’s 1 and 2, this is positive news for everyone involved in the music industry and a step in the right direction after what seems a marathon worth of steps backward.
From the 2nd December, events and live performances are now permitted for tiers 1 & 2, which means music venues in those areas across England can re-open and entertain fans with live shows - a huge win for musicians, event crews, organisers and all those involved in the touring circuit.
There are however restrictions on all live events, including venues having to operate at a 50% capacity and, depending on which tier, ensuring the number of attendees does not exceed the maximum limit imposed by the government. It is also important to mention that for tier 1 live music events have no rules on household mixing, whilst in tier 2 it is prohibited to mix with anyone other than members of your own household.
Tier 3 restrictions are a lot stricter however, in that music events and live performances of any kind are banned across the board, regardless of whether they take place indoors or outdoors.
The government website states ‘In tiers 1 and 2, spectator sport and business events can now resume inside and outside with tight capacity limits and social distancing, providing more consistency with indoor performances in theatres and concert halls’. The infographic below explains the capacity limits in finer detail:
The fine-print for live performances in each tier:
TIER 1:
Public attendance at outdoor and indoor events (performances and shows) is permitted, limited to whichever is lower: 50% capacity, or either 4,000 people outdoors or 1,000 people indoors.
TIER 2:
Public attendance at outdoor and indoor events (performances and shows) is permitted, limited to whichever is lower: 50% capacity, or either 2,000 people outdoors or 1,000 people indoors.
TIER 3:
There should be no public attendance at spectator sport or indoor performances and large business events should not be taking place. Elite sport events may continue to take place without spectators. Large outdoor events (performances and shows) should not take place, with the exception of drive-in events.
What you can do to help
It is a difficult time for the music industry, and although this is a positive step towards normaility, the restrictions in place still represent many challenges for music venues and musicians. But there are many ways you can help, some of which we have listed below:
Attend plenty of gigs throughout the winter - at 50% capacity music venues, musicians & event crews will need sold out shows in order to make a living.
Promote music - use social media to share album & single releases, upcoming tour dates, interviews & music videos.
Invest in musicians - purchase their music, merchandise and tickets for upcoming shows.
Share music with friends - music they don't yet know could become music they love, which creates a fan and an important victory for both musicians and music venues.
Support those in the music industry under third tier restrictions - donate to Stagehand or Save Our Venues.
Stick to the rules - nobody wants a third lockdown to put the industry on hold AGAIN.
If you would like to help support the music industry, please donate to Stagehand or SaveOurVenues.
If you can't, please follow us on Instagram and share the 'Music Is' series with your friends to help raise awareness!