08.10.2021, di Luca Testoni

Live music: yes to 100% of a venue’s capacity, but Green Passes and face masks will be mandatory

Good news for live music performances. The new law decree passed last Thursday by the Italian government has established that indoor concert venues and theaters will finally be able to operate at 100% of their capacity.

The decision, which also affects cinemas and all other cultural venues, will come into effect from Monday, October 11th, but will only be valid within the borders of a so-called “white-zone” region.

We are almost back to normality, though the use of “almost” is key. Not least because in order to access concerts, theaters and cinemas, audiences will be required to show a “green pass” certification (under-12s are exempted) and wear a face mask. As an additional precautionary measure, audience members will have their temperature checked at the door.

The new decree allows for all seats to be occupied, canceling the 1-meter distance rule that was imposed when venues reopened after the first wave of the pandemic.

The government will carry out the necessary checks and impose large fines in order to manage this new reopening phase. Any venue caught breaking the rules more than once will be shut down for a maximum of ten days.

Of course, these changes will be rolled back in any region where cases should rise again, bringing it back into the so-called “yellow zone”. Should this occur, as per the decree, venue capacity will once more be reduced to 50%. Should a region move back into an “orange” or even worse a “red” zone, all cultural activities (live music included) will be shut down once again.

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