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Ministries release health guidelines for cultural, creative sectors

Source
Jakarta Post - July 8, 2020

Alya Nurbaiti, Jakarta – The Education and Culture Ministry and Tourism and Creative Economy Ministry have released joint guidelines for the cultural and creative industries as they resume activities amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The joint ministerial decree (SKB) allows public places such as museums, movie theaters and galleries to reopen and for production houses, actors and performers to resume their normal activities with the permission of the local government.

"The ministries only provide health protocols but local administrations have the authority to allow certain activities according to the COVID-19 status of the region," The Education and Culture Ministry's culture director general, Hilmar Farid, said during a press briefing on Tuesday.

The guidelines require organizers to refrain from holding any events or programs that involve large gatherings of people and to set specific protocols based on their respective fields.

"The implementation might differ from sector to sector. For example, production teams in the film industry must ensure the health of the crew, while organizers of exhibitions or shows must also ensure the audience's safety," Hilmar said.

Secretary-general of the Indonesian Museum Association (AMI) Sigit Gunardjo said the guidelines gave organizers a legal framework with which to set their own protocols.

"We'll discuss the specific protocols with the museum managements," he said.

Besides the standard protocols, such as wearing masks, following physical distancing measures, body temperature checks and routine disinfection, the guidelines also require organizers to conduct a COVID-19 risk assessment for non-remote workers.

The decree also advises against overtime work and night shifts. If night shifts are necessary, the worker should be in a healthy condition, less than 50 years old and have no history of diseases such as diabetes, cardiac or respiratory illness.

Another important aspect stipulated in the decree is contact tracing. Each organizer is required to record the audience or visitors' names, addresses, phone numbers and travel history.

Pre-production activities, such as ticket reservations, pre-production meetings and casting, as well as post-production activities should be carried out online or through phone calls.

The guidelines also advise performers to avoid staging scenes that require physical contact to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission. If physical contact is needed, every performer involved must first conduct 14 days of self-quarantine and have tested negative for COVID-19 using a swab test before practicing or performing.

Source: https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2020/07/08/ministries-release-health-guidelines-for-cultural-creative-sectors.html

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