What’s the story with gigs now? What we know so far

There has been a lot of confusion.

The country is reopening, and while it might not be as much as we first anticipated, there has been more confusion over the latest reopening than confirmation. On Tuesday, Taoiseach Micheal Martin announced the revised reopening for October 22, and it left a lot of unanswered questions, mainly within the entertainment industry. With most of us, and entertainment organisers, left scratching our heads and wondering where we stand with this industry, here is exactly what we can expect to happen this coming Friday. When it comes to both indoor and outdoor events, there is no longer a limit on capacity so concerts, no matter where they are being held, can reopen to full capacity until the festive season, when it will be reviewed again. With concerts and music events now limited to only seated shows, there has been a lot of anger in response as many promoters have already sold-out shows in the coming weeks. While the Government has said that any audience at a live event should be seated at all times and must wear a mask when out of their seat, it has caused a lot of confusion. When it comes to nightclubs, dancing without a mask is permitted while it is still table service only at a restaurant or pub, meaning you can't order at the bar or sit at a bar. You are allowed to stand at a concert, but you can only do so at your seat and not leave the area around it. If you are with a mix of vaccinated and unvaccinated people, pods of six should apply and fixed capacity limits will not apply to these indoor and outdoor group activities. There will still be a requirement to show proof of vaccination for indoor hospitality and events, with Covid certs or proof of recovery both accepted and contact tracing will still be carried out. Her.ie has reached out to various production companies for comment.