Regarding the Ensuring of Social Distancing in the Professional Performing Arts Rehearsal Process

Issued pursuant to
Paragraph 9.11 of Cabinet Regulation No. 241
of 29 April 2003, By-law of the Ministry of Culture

1. In accordance with Sub-paragraphs 4.5.²5 and 4.53.¹ of Cabinet Order No. 103 of 12 March 2020, Regarding the Declaration of Emergency Situation:

1.1. The organisation of professional performing arts (music, dance, and theatre) (hereinafter - the professional performing arts organisation) shall ensure the rehearsal processes (work on the creation of video and audio recordings is comparable to a rehearsal), complying with the following conditions:

1.1.1. the presence of persons with signs of respiratory infection (fever, cough, shortness of breath) is precluded. The professional performing arts organisation has the right to prohibit persons with signs of respiratory infection from participating in a rehearsal and to invite them to leave the place of rehearsal, recommending them to go home and contact their general practitioner;

1.1.2. the presence of persons to whom self-isolation, home quarantine or strict isolation has been determined according to Sub-paragraph 4.12 of Cabinet Order No. 103 of 12 March 2020, Regarding the Declaration of Emergency Situation, is precluded. A person, upon arriving to a rehearsal after an absence of several days, shall attest in writing that he or she is not subject to the conditions of self-isolation, quarantine or isolation;

1.1.3. during a rehearsal, the persons not involved in the course of rehearsal are precluded from the premises of the rehearsal;

1.1.4. the need to involve persons of risk groups in rehearsals is being evaluated;

1.1.5. changes to the composition of participants involved in the rehearsal process are precluded;

1.1.6. the course of the rehearsal is planned for a total of up to four hours, including breaks;

1.1.7. provision of shared place for drinks or snacks to the participants of a rehearsal is precluded.

1.2. The professional performing arts organisation shall create a list of the persons participating in each rehearsal, including shall compile the contact information of persons in conformity with the principles determined for personal data processing, and shall store such lists for at least three weeks after the rehearsal.

1.3. The professional performing arts organisation shall organise the rehearsal process so that separate groups of participants in the rehearsal (groups of instruments or voice types, participants in different performances) would not be in the rehearsal room and also in other premises at the same time.

1.4. The professional performing arts organisation shall ensure the control of the flow of participants in the rehearsal both outdoor and indoor spaces of the organisation in order to prevent the crowding of participants and to ensure the maintaining of a two-metre distance, including:

1.4.1. to the extent possible, shall use several entrances and exits to organise flows of various groups of participants in the rehearsal;

1.4.2. shall eliminate any obstacles that could restrict entrances or exits and impede the flow of participants;

1.4.3. shall, in visible places of the premises, place clearly legible instructions for the need to be socially responsible and to maintain a two-metre distance, to evaluate one's health condition and to not attend the rehearsal if there are signs of respiratory infection (fever, cough, shortness of breath), and also if the person has an obligation to be in self-isolation, home quarantine or strict isolation;

1.4.4. shall ensure the maintenance of a two-metre distance between participants in all stages of the rehearsal, except for the cases referred to in Paragraph 1.5.2 of this Order, and also during rehearsal breaks.

1.5. The professional performing arts organisation shall determine the maximum number of participants that can be present at a rehearsal, ensuring the following in the rehearsal premises:

1.5.1. no more than one actor or musician per 4 m² of the area of the rehearsal space, where the maintenance of the two-metre distance is ensured between the participants in the rehearsal and crowding of participants at the entrance, exit, and in other premises (stage, hall, balconies, and working spaces of support staff may be considered separate premises in order to prevent crowding at the doors of the premises) is prevented;

1.5.2. no more than one dancer or singer per 9 m² of the area of the rehearsal premise, where the maintenance of three-metre distance is ensured between the participants in the rehearsal and crowding of participants at the entrance, exit, and in other premises (stage, hall, balconies, and working spaces of support staff may be considered separate premises in order to prevent crowding at the doors of the premises) is prevented.

[21 May 2020]

1.6. If the rehearsal process requires the presence of two participants without maintaining the distance specified in Paragraph 1.5 of this Order, the professional performing arts organisation shall ensure that there is no direct physical contact between these persons and that the staying closer than specified in Paragraph 1.5 of this Order does not exceed 15 minutes, except for the cases where such persons live in one household.

1.7. The professional performing arts organisation shall ensure that the participants of the rehearsal have the possibility to observe hand hygiene (washing hands with soap under running water and hygienic means for hand drying or using hand sanitisers (70 % ethanol solution or another effective hand sanitiser)).

1.8. The professional performing arts organisation shall place an available, clearly legible information with the reminder of the compliance with the requirements of hygiene at the premises, including in bathrooms:

1.9. The professional performing arts organisation shall ensure that the participants in the rehearsal use only those devices, musical instruments and other equipment which is transferred for their use, and ensure their transfer from one person to another by disinfecting them in advance by appropriate means.

1.10. The professional performing arts organisation shall, to the extent possible, reduce the use of common-use surfaces, technical devices, and objects (touch screens, computers, their keyboards and mice, requisites, etc.). The professional performing arts organisation shall ensure the possibility to sanitise hands before their use or to perform regular disinfection of such devices and objects (at least 3 to 5 times a day, if possible - after each use) by using appropriate disinfectants.

1.11. The professional performing arts organisation shall clean the premises after each rehearsal, particularly thoroughly cleaning all common-use surfaces (for example, door handles, table surfaces, armrests, handrails, bathroom surfaces) by using appropriate disinfectants (the recommended disinfectants are 70 % ethanol solution or 0.5 % sodium hypochlorite solution). Surfaces that are touched by a large number of participants in the rehearsal should be cleaned several times a day. More detailed information on the cleaning of premises is available on the website of the Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.

1.12. The professional performing arts organisation shall, to the extent possible, perform regular ventilation of premises by opening the windows or using effective mechanical ventilation.

1.13. The competence of the management of the professional performing arts organisation includes the evaluation of the usefulness of the use of face masks and other personal protective equipment, complying with the conditions for the proper use and disposal thereof, and also the necessity to determine compliance with other additional safety measures.

2. The Order shall enter into force on the day following its publication in the official gazette Latvijas Vēstnesis.

3. This Order shall be published in the official gazette Latvijas Vēstnesis.

Minister for Culture N. Puntulis

Translation © 2020 Valsts valodas centrs (State Language Centre)