PM Mitchell met GPA’s members to discuss impact of COVID-19 on entertainment industry

Grenada: Prime Minister Keith Mitchell joined with members of the Grenada Promoters- Association to address the possible resumption of exercise in the entertainment industry, which has setback by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Prime Minister Keith Mitchell’s statement:

I met with members of the Grenada Promoters Association this week to discuss the possible resumption of activity in the entertainment industry, which has been hard-hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The onset of the pandemic in Grenada in March 2020 placed an indefinite hold on mass events, which are considered as potential super-spreaders. While the steps have served to help keep the population safe, the industry shutdown has severely impacted the livelihood of promoters and others whose earnings are direct- linked to the staging of events.

With Grenada’s COVID-19 vaccination-programme ongoing as a primary means of getting back to normal, efforts are intensifying to reintroduce activities in the entertainment sector in a structured manner that will not compromise the safety of promoters, entertainers, workers and patrons.

I empathize with the promoters who have been without a source of income for more than a year, and I applaud their efforts to help chart the way forward. As human beings, we are, by nature, social creatures; therefore, we cannot continue to the complete non-existence of cultural and other entertainment activities. 

No one could have envisioned the wide-spread impact of the COVID-19 pandemic or the duration of that impact, but we have to try and find different ways to move forward. The health of individuals remains a fundamental consideration in any decision, but there are also other factors to consider, including the ability of persons to earn a living.

I have also recommended that the promoters encourage their colleagues to use their various platforms to help promote the Government’s vaccination programme, which is key to restarting activity in some sectors.

I welcome the initiative being taken by the Grenada Promoters Association to help to restart activity in their sector. They have made several recommendations on the way forward, including a set of regulations to guide the staging of events, entry point procedures to capture contact-tracing information, food and bar service options to minimise crowding in one location. 

Besides, the promoters have compiled a list of entertainment venues and their respective capacities in keeping with COVID-19 protocols. 

They have also recommended partnerships with the Ministry of Health and COVID-19 Sub-Committee to share relevant information at events. There will be urgent action on the matter as we chart the way forward together.