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“Events can and can take place safely. The Events Industry Association actively offers the Government its expertise and time to ensure that the security requirements and recommendations developed by the Operations Manager achieve the ultimate goal of secure the events and maximize the benefits of the creative industries, both economically and socially.
We regret to admit that we lack an open dialogue based on a sincere desire to seek the best solutions for the Lithuanian people together with experts in the field with valuable professional and practical experience. The Events Industry Association unites both stadiums and event organizers (from the largest to the smallest, from public event organizers to private holiday organizers), so together with epidemiologists , we can develop realistic and effective rules according to the venue, the nature of the event, the number of spectators and the like.
On Wednesday, the government approved a new procedure for organizing events, starting on August 16. Until August 31. In open spaces, events may be held when no more than a thousand people participate in the event. Participants; 600 participants will be able to participate in the indoor events. Constantly updated event organization procedure, although we consider it an adequate response to a dynamic situation, we lack strategic planning. Event planning is one of the essential elements of the industry. Therefore, it is essential that event organizers, venue managers and spectators know in advance, at least in advance, how to deal with the changing epidemiological situation.
From the Government, in this dynamic situation, we expect a clear formula, a possible example of what we present as a proposal: “Plan A”: the epidemiological situation is good (normal), everything happens in an order; “Plan B”: if X diseases per 100 thousand inhabitants during period Y (for example, 2 weeks) – the event can take place in that place, but special measures must be applied (for example: temperature is measured, spectators only with masks, distances are increased, etc.); “Plan C”: with X 100,000 diseases in a certain place, the event cannot occur; If the situation improves, we revert to a plan that meets the criteria discussed above.
We note that we recognize the recurrent closeness of the policy team, and in particular the Chief of Operations team, to the reluctance to cooperate with experts in the field. We saw this at the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis, when the expert opinion of virologists was guessed at by hand, some of them even trying to silence them. As we all remember perfectly, the Operations Manager team later relied on the latter’s insights and advice. We urge you not to repeat this mistake in the events industry and don’t waste time on theoretical experiments – it’s time to gather industry experts and seriously prepare for the upcoming fall season and next year.
As Prime Minister Saulius Skvernelis said, you will have to live with this virus for a long time. We need to adequately adapt to the needs and expectations of society. The events respond to an important sociocultural need of society and make a significant contribution to the emotional health of society, which, according to health professionals, is currently characterized by a particularly high level of anxiety. We believe that special attention should be paid to the issue of the events sector, not to be confused with other business areas that, despite the panic and uncertainty that the first wave of COVID-19 generated, have now adapted successfully.
Events are essential for emotional health, but they are valuable when broadcast live. Events are an important part of the economy, so if restrictions are imposed, the state must be prepared to support commercial areas that are subject to bans or restrictions. Support needs to be planned in advance so companies can clearly know that they will be able to retain their employees. This already requires concrete actions from the Government today: subsidies, VAT incentives and similar measures, whose packages, depending on the scenarios that are developed, must also be planned.
With regard to the events industry, it is important to realize that these issues involve the interests of tens of thousands of industry workers and hundreds of thousands of consumers, for whom these services are also important from a health point of view. Event organizers and venue managers are willing to do whatever they can to ensure public safety. Promoting awareness and responsibility for one’s actions is an important educational element, the provision of which is the responsibility of the Government.
It is the organizer’s responsibility to be responsible for what is in their possession. We lack a clear methodology that establishes the limits of responsibilities between the organizer and the participant of the event. Let’s say there is no disinfectant on site or employees do not wear protective masks; It is the responsibility of the organizer. However, spectators, if they break the rules or do not follow the established procedure, for example, enter the event with a mask and then sit without it, they must take responsibility for themselves. We hope to be able to participate in the preparation of this procedure, the Prime Minister in public, before going on vacation, instructing the ministers to consult with the representatives of the sector in the preparation of these procedures.
Unfortunately, representatives of the events sector were not included even after a separate proposal to the Minister of Culture, and so far there is no clear methodology. We hope that this public address of ours will be heard and that we will soon be able to present in detail our proposals to better ensure public safety and other important needs.
We want to ask public leaders and decision-makers, as well as media leaders, to disseminate information responsibly, including in terms of raising unwarranted concerns. We observe an entrenched narrative that cultural events are a higher risk area for infection by the COVID-19 virus. We understand that the stories of known people are gaining more interest than usual and today, even with some well-known people announcing their coronavirus infection, there is a lot of discussion in the public sphere on this topic. However, there is no objective basis to claim that events are a higher risk area than other public gatherings, such as beaches, various shopping venues, and other public gathering places. Therefore, we reasonably expect that any manifestation of discrimination in the events sector will be avoided.
Signed by the members of the Board of Directors of the Event Industry Association, who are willing to dedicate their time and knowledge to work with you for free: Tomas Balčiūnas, Diana Bukantaitė-Kutkevičienė, Artūras Butkevičius, Simonas Čepėnas, Agnė Grigaliūnienė , Gediminas Jaunuskius, Mindaasterugas Kterrasa Motuzas, Marijus Olekas, Valdas Petreikis, Donatas Simanaitis, Andrius Žiauberis “, says the address.
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