Live Performance Australia, the peak body for Australia's live performance industry, has issued a statement regarding the outbreak of COVID-19 and its effect on the performance industry in Australia.
Speaking on behalf of the organisation, LPA Chief Executive Evelyn Richardson said the body was paying "very close attention" to the situation and maintained the health and well-being of patrons and performers remained the top priority.
However, the purpose of the statement was to stress that "at this stage, the advice of the Commonwealth’s Chief Medical Officer is that there is no material risk associated with attending a public gathering".
“Obviously, people who have been in COVID-19 affected countries, or have had contact with a confirmed case or are unwell should stay away from public gatherings, but otherwise it should be safe to attend," Richardson shared in the statement.
“We’ll continue to follow that advice, any many of our live performance events are proceeding on that basis, including upcoming festivals such as Bluesfest.
“If and when the official advice changes, we will work closely with health authorities to respond to their advice.”
The statement comes as many events both across Australia and overseas, including Coachella and Dark Mofo, have been either cancelled or postponed.
“Each promoter or event organiser will need to make a decision on their event and circumstances and we respect those decisions, although we will always start from the position of what the official health advice says,” Richardson said.
“It remains safe to attend a live performance, and I encourage all Australians to continue to make the most of our dynamic, diverse and vibrant live performance sector.”
A number of events, including Bluesfest and Download Festival, have confirmed to The Music they will proceed as planned.
For more information about how COVID-19 is impacting the music industry, follow the link here.
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