'Ontario is closed for business:' Concert, theatre organizers face new COVID-19 hurdles
CTV
Upcoming concerts headlined by Billie Eilish and Elton John are hanging in the balance as Ontario's plan to ease COVID-19 restrictions hands a tougher set of rules to live shows than other entertainment events.
Advocates for the province's live music and theatre industries say they're being treated unfairly as new rules go into effect on Jan. 31 that hold their venues at 50-per cent capacity until at least mid-March.
Meanwhile, other entertainment venues including cinemas, casinos and restaurants have been told to expect the ability to host a full house by Feb. 21.
Erin Benjamin, head of the Canadian Live Music Association, says it's the latest setback for live venues and their owners who are once again confused by policies that deem it safe to eat maskless in a restaurant but unsafe to gather masked for a concert.
She worries the ever-changing rules could squelch a raft of upcoming concerts, from big-ticket shows led by international superstars to smaller club events by U.S. artists, all of them who may decide it's not worth the cost of entering Canada to play a half-full arena.
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