Penang releases guidelines on reopening of arts, culture spaces

CORONAVIRUS | The Penang government has released guidelines to facilitate the reopening of the arts and culture spaces in the state in accordance with federal public health measures.

According to state executive councillor for Tourism, Arts, Culture and Heritage Yeoh Soon Hin, the "Public Health Safety Operations Guidelines for Arts and Culture Spaces" comprise key considerations to help arts and culture organisations make decisions on operations and programming during the coronavirus pandemic.

“So far Penang is the first state in Malaysia to come out with these guidelines.

“The arts and culture sector are among the most affected by the Covid-19 crisis, with many public events and activities cancelled or postponed due to the national movement control order (MCO),” he said in a statement.

However, Yeoh acknowledged that the guide may not cover all aspects of the industry but assured that it would be updated regularly.

“These guidelines are not intended to be exhaustive or comprehensive in scope and not every consideration will apply to every organisation. We encourage arts and culture organisations and practitioners to use these guidelines as a foundation for their plans and adapt them to their specific needs in implementing mandatory public health guidelines.

“Please note that this is a working document that will be updated regularly to reflect changes in state and federal guidelines related to the pandemic,” he added.

The guideline is available here.

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