The Market Regulation Department of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism ("MCT") has recently distributed the Guidelines for Epidemic Prevention and Control Measures for Reopening of Performance Venues Including Theaters (Third Edition) (the "Guidelines").
The Guidelines state that medium-sized and low-sized commercial performances can be staged in low-risk regions upon approval of the local party committee and government, and new commercial performances (except their cast members live within the territory of China) concerning foreign affairs or foreign nationals or the affairs or citizens of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan will be suspended, with on-site interaction before and after the performance being called off at the time being. In medium- and high-risk regions, commercial performances will be suspended at the time being. In addition, the Guidelines urge reservations to restrict the number of audiences, stating that in such performance venues as theaters, the number of audiences may not exceed 50% of the number of seats available, and audiences will be asked to sit with an empty seat between two of them to maintain the safe distance. Moreover, the Guidelines encourage promoting the online real-name ticketing mechanism and e-tickets and advocate online payments and ticket checking via gate machine by dint of the QR code to reduce direct contact as much as possible. For specialized performance venues, including theaters, audiences will be required to book tickets with their real names and be allowed to enter after their real names are checked.