This page has been compiled by Sally Wearing, our H&S Advisor. Please bear in mind that it can take a few days between new guidance emerging and Sally reading it all and writing a summary. If you have further questions that the info below doesn’t answer … please email sallywearing@outlook.com .
See all our Covid-19 pages:
- Main Covid-19 page
- Practices
- Performances (this page)
- Online Practices
- Insurance
Update on 6th February 2022
This only applies to England. If you would like advice for other parts of the UK, please contact Sally Wearing at sallywearing@outlook.com.
The government recently removed the restrictions put in place under “Plan B”. We have therefore revised this guidance for performances.
We strongly recommend that you read our Main Covid-19 page first, including the section on Government Guidance, as part of deciding how to perform. You should also consult all the members of your team about what they do or do not want to do.
To perform or not to perform?
Please do not automatically assume it is safe to perform simply because the guidance allows you to. You need to decide which restrictions to keep, reduce or remove, taking into account how Covid-19 can be transmitted and the basic steps we should take to prevent it spreading.
Before deciding whether and how to perform, you must first make sure that you can keep everyone involved safe: performers, audience and supporters. You should review the new government guidance for events and attractions, as this includes information about how to protect audiences as well as the participants.
The requirements are similar to those for practices, but you need to consider how to minimise the risk of transmission to and from people in the audience as well as between members of the team. Please make sure you comply with the guidance.
Close contact: the government is still recommending limiting close contact with people you do not usually live with, as this can help reduce your risk. You should also consider who else members of your team are in close contact with, such as at work or with other teams or doing other activities.
Outdoor performances: this is much the safest way to perform, as the risk of transmission is much lower outside.
Ventilation for indoor performances: you can perform inside, but the risk of transmission is greater. If you decide to perform indoors, try to increase the ventilation as much as possible by introducing fresh air into the performance space. See the guidance about ventilation on our practices page.
Venues: as usual, you need permission from the owners of the land. If you are performing at a venue or event run by a business or organisation, they need to comply with the applicable government guidance for events and attractions. This requires those in charge of the premises and/or event to assess the risks and put suitable controls in place to protect everyone involved, including turning people with Covid-19 symptoms away and providing adequate ventilation. They should tell you what they have done to minimise the risk of transmission and what you need to do while at the venue or event.
You are responsible for managing the risks arising from your activities, e.g. dancing and playing music. You should base your risk assessment on the information from the venue, adding further controls as necessary to make your performance safe for your team and audience.
NB: If you are organising a larger outdoor event, such as a day of dance, you should also review the guidance for managing public outdoor settings. This applies to spaces such as urban centres, green spaces, etc.
Risk Assessment for Performances
We have updated the Covid template risk assessment for outdoor and indoor performances. If you have not already done a risk assessment for performances, you can use the template risk assessment below, which covers outdoor performances. As above, we recommend reviewing each of the controls in it and deciding whether your team wants to keep them in place or not.
And please remember that this risk assessment only covers the risk of transmitting Covid. Depending on where you are performing, you may also need a general health and safety risk assessment; please see the template which is available in the Members’ section of MF’s website.
Template Risk Assessment: This is provided in these formats:
- Template Risk Assessment for Performances (PDF) (opens in new window)
- Template Risk Assessment for Performances (Word Format) (editable version – downloads to your ‘downloads’ folder when clicked)
- Template Risk Assessment for Performances (Rich Text Format) (editable version – downloads to your ‘downloads’ folder when clicked)
You need to customise it to your team and venue; please start by reading these notes on How to use the Template Risk Assessments (PDF). If you use the template, please send any comments, criticisms or suggestions for improvements to Sally at sallywearing@outlook.com. She is always keen to get feedback.
Queries
If you still have queries that the above doesn’t answer … please email sallywearing@outlook.com
