Breaking News From Washington State
We just received the following letter about the new State Guidelines that affect all cultural organizations and events. This is very very good news about the possibility of reopening our live experiences in the very near future.
This letter is from our friend Karen Hanan, Executive Director of ArtsWA.
Please see attached the latest drafts of suggested reopening guidelines for the museum sector, and also for the theatre/performing arts and events sector. Both were asked for by the Governor’s office / DOH and include draft, suggested Phase 3 guidance. Both documents have now been submitted by ArtsWA on behalf of the sectors, for their consideration.
These are draft only at this point. In both cases, they were supported and approved by small working groups convened from the sectors. Though not yet approved, we hope to hear quite soon from the Gov/DOH as they figure out how to move the state ahead, our sectors included.
I also included with the submissions, the attached WA State one pager and a study from the Berlin Institute of Technology. The first is newly received data on our state’s creative economy pre pandemic and now. The second is a recent report put together by colleagues in Europe dated February 2021. The chart on page 2 of the report says a lot. The basic take-away is yes, museums and the cultural sectors are safer than grocery stores and malls—by a significant amount. It also shows data from a test event with 1,200 attendees that suggests indoor concerts have a “low” impact on infection rates, providing they are well ventilated and follow hygiene protocols. The audience was tested in various configurations of social distancing and other safety measures.
Here is a recent published article that quotes the data: Museums Are Safer Than Any Other Indoor Activity, COVID-19 Study Says (hyperallergic.com)
ATTACHED FILES:
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