Art may be a means of escape for many of us and, for others, it might just be a hobby but, for hundreds, it is their lifeline.
Hundreds – from musicians to painters to actors to dancers – have seen their jobs and their passion wither away because of the restrictions sparked by COVID-19. Like other sectors, they had to endure long months of being out of work and having to rely on government handouts.
Many chose to take their art online but that generated little revenue or even left artists out of pocket. Too many artists have had no choice but to give it all up to be able to make a living. A country without culture is like a tree without roots. And that’s a risk we simply can’t afford to take!
Malta has managed the last few months of the pandemic very well, with a partial lockdown complementing a superb vaccine roll-out strategy that has seen active COVID-19 numbers fizzle out to almost negligible.
As measures are eased to reflect the declining virus numbers, many artists are now right to claim they feel discriminated against. Restaurants and bars have reopened, the mask rule in public is being rightly relaxed from July and tourists are being welcomed.
It is not right to deal professionals and artists their death blow during the crucial summer season, with no justification given while others are treated differently
The government announced that from July 5, only seated events up to 100 people can be organised, subject to a risk assessment by the Malta Tourism Authority and a mandatory certificate of vaccination upon entry.
Organisers will also have to abide by a list of other restrictions to be able to host events. Although seating capacities will gradually double to 200 over a four-week period, Culture Minister José Herrera acknowledged that capacity limitations meant some events would not be financially feasible.
The overwhelming sense that one gets from these rules is that the government appears to be saying one thing and then doing another.
It is illogical, for instance, to allow weddings of up to 300 unvaccinated guests but to then limit an outdoor concert to 100 vaccinated people.
Similarly, it is hard to understand why a restaurant can hire a guitarist or singer to entertain diners but not a deejay.
The Malta Entertainment Industry and the Arts Association (MEIA) made proposals for the industry until December 2021 to allow the industry to plan. Concerts and theatrical presentations often take long months, if not years, of planning and coordinating. The MEIA also proposed a staggered approach starting with 50 per cent occupancy from July for venues such as theatres and cinemas, which reopened last week but can only admit one person for every four-square metres of space.
It also proposed a staggered approach starting with 25 per cent occupancy from June for licensed venues such as clubs and controlled open-air gated events with a maximum capping of 300 people. Entry will be subject to established protocols, including a vaccination certificate if required by the health authorities.
Unless the country is hit by a third wave of the pandemic, the MEIA proposals appear to be staggered, clear and safe.
Instead, Malta’s treatment of the arts scene does not appear to reflect the trends in other EU countries, which are supporting the reopening of the industry even when the roll-out of their vaccination programmes are not as advanced as Malta’s.
Times of Malta has supported the strict measures when they were needed and provided a consistent information service to help the health authorities keep the virus numbers down. But we also need to acknowledge that we are in a privileged position, with more than half of our total population fully vaccinated.
It is not right to deal professionals and artists their death blow during the crucial summer season, with no justification given while others are treated differently.
Just because the artistic sector does not threaten with its vote, as other more vociferous groups do, it does not make it any less important.