HELP is coming for players in the local creative industries who have been displaced by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Olivia “Babsy” Grange made the announcement during her contribution to the sectoral debate at Gordon House in Kingston, on Tuesday evening.

She noted that the sectors in her ministry strive on in-person gatherings in close proximity; are motivated through touch, feel and taste; and the presence of large crowds is essential to success. She said the required protocols of social and physical distancing, stay at home, and community lockdowns have had severe effects.

Grange said that the devastating effects on the sectors forced her to work with the Ministry of Finance to create a special fund valued at $40 million to assist both entertainment fraternity members as well as sports persons who have been affected by the pandemic and are unable to ply their trade and earn a living.

“Most artistes have not worked since March as concerts, tours and other events in Jamaica and across the world have been cancelled. Many creative professionals have also been out of work as studios closed affecting audio, lighting and other technical production professionals, graphic designers, curators, scriptwriters, stylists, among others. The festival and events economy, which includes such events as the Calabash Literary Festival, Caribbean Fashion Week, StyleWeek, and over 7,200 events that would have been held in towns and communities across Jamaica, were all shuttered,” she said.

Grange further noted that this $40-million fund — which is available to entertainment and creative personnel — is in addition to the assistance being provided to the sector under the Government’s COVID Allocation of Resources for Employees (CARE) programme. The fund will be administered by Grange’s ministry.

“I’ve received multiple stories on the harsh financial impact COVID has had on the sector. The $40 million is in addition to the amounts that will be paid to creative professionals under the CARE programme. At one point, the entertainment sector was saying they were not being recognised, but today we can say we have been recognised. Practitioners who have received or will receive assistance under the CARE Programme will not be eligible to receive assistance from this special support package,” she said.

Government on Tuesday also announced the restart of live entertainment as well as social activities, on a trial basis, starting next Tuesday, July 21. These include amusement parks, sports bars, as well as the staging of limited outside entertainment events — small outdoor concerts, parties, round-robins, launches, religious celebrations, and festivals. However, the order does not relate to nightclubs, and gaming lounges will not be allowed to open up for gambling.

Protocols have also been established governing the staging of these events. These include strict adherence to social distancing, mask-wearing and sanitisation.