Montgomery County Revises Guidelines for Phase 2 Outdoor Performances

For Immediate Release: Thursday, September 17, 2020

Montgomery County officials announced today that venues will be permitted to have live outdoor performance of 50 people or fewer; but they must meet certain guidelines. This new provision further expands entertainment options for residents during Phase 2 of reopening. Venues interested in having outdoor live performances must submit a request for a Letter of Approval and adhere to specific guidelines to protect the health and safety of guests, performers, production crews and staff.

“This is a delicate balance, which is why we’re beginning cautiously,” said County Executive Marc Elrich. “We are trying to find ways to allow performances while we are continuing to look at the intractability of our case count numbers – they are not going down in any sort of consistent manner – we have to keep that constantly in mind as we make adjustments. I appreciate people’s continued understanding and hope that we are able to have successful performances in a safe manner.”

The following are guidelines for live outdoor performances:

• Physical distancing of at least six feet for guests who are not part of the same household
  
  
• Advance ticket sales only. One ticket holder in each party must provide contact information in the event they need to be reached for contact tracing purposes
  
  
• All guests and venue staff will be required to wear face masks at all times
  
  
• Venue must regularly sanitize surfaces and common areas after each show
  
  
• Temperature checks of staff prior to each day of performance
  
  
• Survey of guest’s health status upon entry into venue
  
  
• Performers must undergo a COVID-19 test prior to the run of the show and have temperature checks prior to each performance
  
  
• As part of the Letter of Approval request, each venue shall submit a plan to ensure the health and safety of the performers. We recommend that any theater company follow the guidelines issued by SAG-AFTRA
  
  
• Safety guidelines must be overseen by a designated COVID-19 response coordinator or safety officer
  
  
• Following performances, ticket holders must be contacted electronically with a request that they report COVID-19 symptoms from anyone in their party to the venue staff Any reports from guests, performers, staff or crew must be reported to the Department of Health and Human Services’ Disease Control Office

“Our goal throughout the pandemic has been to make the safety and health of residents be the priority in our decisions,” said Dr. Travis Gayles, County health officer. “We believe these actions will help us continue our efforts to slow the spread of COVID-19 while helping the community move towards the reopening of our economy.

For more information on the guidelines, please visit the County’s COVID-19 website.

For the latest COVID-19 updates, visit the County’s COVID-19 website as well as the County’s data dashboard or follow Montgomery County on Facebook @MontgomeryCountyInfo and Twitter @MontgomeryCountyMD. 

Put the “count” in Montgomery County! Be sure to complete the Census online, by phone, or by mail. It’s safe, confidential, easy, and important. #2020Census #EveryoneCountsMCMD 

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Release ID: 20-510
Media Contact: Mary Anderson 240-777-6507