On Thursday night, the government presented further relief for cultural life.
Last week, it was opened to up to 200 spectators at indoor events with fixed, designated seats. The ceiling has now been raised to 1500. The condition is that the 1500 are divided into cohorts of 200 and make up a maximum of 50 per cent of the room’s capacity.
The new measures do not bring any real relief to the industry, says Frank Nes, general manager of the concert organizer Bergen Live.
– I had not thought that it was possible, two years into a pandemic, that one could treat an industry in that way. It is a little shocking, he says to Dagbladet.
– That this is described by the Minister of Culture as «A big step in the right direction», is not correct at best. I do not have words.
Many people get menstrual problems
– Want to open
The Ministry of Culture has been presented with the criticism.
– For very many, this opening will lead to more spectators at events, but then it is clear that for some it will be difficult to fulfill some of these restrictions, writes Minister of Culture Anette Trettebergstuen in an e-mail to Dagbladet.
– We all want to open cultural, sports and volunteer events all the way up as quickly as possible, but so far we unfortunately have to keep the meter. As we have known throughout the pandemic, we have to open up gradually so as not to lose control of the infection situation.
The Minister of Culture emphasizes that the health authorities’ assessment is that the public should still be divided into groups. Read her full answer further down in the case.
– Heavy blow to the face
– Do not contact
Nes in Bergen Live led the so-called Kulturlivets summer group, which in the spring of 2021 provided input for the implementation of large events on behalf of the government. As Aftenposten previously mentioned, the group has not been asked for advice this time.
– We had a very good dialogue with the Ministry of Culture at the time, but we have not had any contact since last summer, he says.
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Trettebergstuen responds by inviting Bergen Live to an open dialogue meeting next Monday. Actors in culture, sports and volunteering are invited to provide input on infection control and the way forward, the Ministry of Culture writes in a press release.
In its professional basis, the National Institute of Public Health (NIPH) points out that due to a short deadline, it was not possible to get input from the industry.
However, the government has received input. A number of players sent a letter before the weekend, where they ask that cultural events be treated equally with other companies. The practice is that the companies themselves set a ceiling on how many people can be in a room.
Their proposal has thus not been heard in this round.
– It’s obviously sad
– Make it difficult
On Monday afternoon, there was also an inquiry from FHI, where a number of actors were asked to provide input, shows e-mail correspondence Dagbladet has been given access to.
While FHI’s input to the government was delivered just after 2 pm on Tuesday afternoon, the organizations had until 6 pm the same day to deliver theirs.
– It is true that a number of actors in the field of culture submitted input before the weekend. We have a good dialogue with the cultural field, which gives us good input and assessments at all times. Last Wednesday we had an input meeting with important players in the field of culture, sports and volunteering, a meeting also attended by the health authorities, writes Trettebergstuen, and continues:
– We know that the requirement to divide the public into groups makes it difficult to fill halls and premises, and we therefore work with the health authorities and the actors in our areas to put in place even better solutions. The government has announced that we will return at the beginning of February with a new assessment of the infection control measures. We hope to be able to deliver relief, and better adapted solutions.
– Why have you chosen to ignore the industry’s desire for equal treatment with other industries?
Maximum 200 guests: – Comic
– It is impossible to treat industries equally that are different in nature. There is a difference between shopping malls and theaters. But I recognize the desire for more flexible solutions, and as I said, we are working on that now. This time, this was a justifiable relief that meets the needs of some actors.
– Makes no difference
Atle Halstensen, head of the stage production company Scenekvelder, which is behind productions at the Folketeateret in Oslo, is also very critical of the new measures.
– For some it has a little to say, for us it unfortunately makes no difference, says Halstensen.
The actors Dagbladet has spoken to point in particular to the provision that the audience should be divided into cohorts as challenging. For each cohort, separate toilet facilities, changing rooms and bars are required.
– This means that we at the Folketeateret can only have two cohorts. Then we have just under 30 percent of the capacity inside, and then we can not manage. It’s a shame, because we could have full houses, says Halstensen.
– It is a numbness, and a feeling of despair in the industry now, I have never been part of such an experience of collective resignation, he says.
CRITICAL: Atle Halstensen is one of several cultural actors who believe the new reliefs are of little help. Photo: Javad Parsa / NTB
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– Not a measure
According to the Norwegian Directorate of Health, cohort division has previously proven to be a successful infection control measure. They believe that it reduces the risk “somewhat” of major outbreaks, and that it does not affect the sectors to the same degree as number restrictions.
Producer and HSE manager Martin Holmes in Bergen Live led the professional group in Kulturlivet’s summer group in the spring of 2021. He strongly disagrees with the Norwegian Directorate of Health’s assessment.
– We have always insisted that cohort division is not an infection control measure. It has been an infection tracking tool in connection with the TISK strategy. Now that the infection tracing has been put aside, it certainly has nothing to do with it, Holmes believes.
When asked why separate toilet facilities and bars have been set for the cohorts, Trettebergstuen answers:
– It is to emphasize that the cohorts must be kept separate at all times.
The employee worked 400 hours for free
Enormous disappointment
Several cultural actors have for a long time questioned the proportionality of the restrictions they have been and are subject to. The professional authorities have been open about the fact that little is known about the effect of individual measures.
Frank Nes in Bergen Live points out that Minister of Culture Trettebergstuen in opposition was very critical of the previous government’s efforts towards the cultural industry.
– As an industry, we therefore had high expectations of her. The disappointment is enormous, he says.
In the government’s press release, Trettebergstuen is quoted as saying that she hopes they can open more for events when the measures are to be reconsidered at the beginning of February.
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