globalnews.ca
94%
994
Long road to recovery for Quebec’s cultural sector after COVID-19 shutdowns
“The government has had sort of a knee-jerk reaction for venues to be the first businesses shut down and last ones to reopen, and they’ve provided absolutely no data to justify that,” said Weisz, the director of Les Scenes de Musique Alternatives du Quebec.As of Monday, theatres and other venues can reopen at 50 per cent capacity to a maximum of 500 people (1,000 for outdoor events), with vaccine passports required.Five men and women from the Quebec culture scene interviewed by The Canadian Press all said the reopening announcement brings them relief and hope. However, they stressed that the rules in place add extra complications and make it hard for some venues to reopen at all.Sophie Pregent, the president of the Union des Artistes, which represents stage, television, radio, and film performers, says it won’t be financially viable for some venues to mount shows under the current rules.“There are theatres, there are institutions, that will remain closed longer, because they can’t open with 50 per cent capacity,” she said in a recent phone interview.Philippe Lambert, the artistic director of Montreal theatre La Licorne, said there are also logistical hurdles surrounding reopening at half capacity.