Safety Instructions / Etno-Espa 2020

The 2020 Etno-Espa concert series has been organised with full consideration of the current Coronavirus pandemic, and with safety as a priority. The Etno-Espa event will be following the recommendations and directives from the Ministry of Education and Culture, as well as the general safety rules for the Espa Stage. The safety directions for the stage have been compiled by the Savoy Theatre, the administrative body for the Espa Stage. The directives from the Ministry of Education and Culture and the Finnish Institute of Health and Welfare can be accessed through this link. The staff and performers of the concert series will follow the safety directions compiled specifically for them.

Please familiarise yourself in advance with our safety instructions below. The Etno-Espa staff will assist and advise audiences in observing the directions and creating a safe concert environment.

  • You must not attend Etno-Espa if you are experiencing any flu-like symptoms or if you have reason to believe you may have been infected with Coronavirus. These restrictions apply to audiences, performers, and staff. The most effective way to prevent infections is to stay home at the slightest sign of symptoms.

  • Social distancing of attendees will be implemented through reduced attendance numbers and reconfigured audience areas.

    • The maximum number of attendees in the restricted audience area is 100 people, depending on the placement of individuals and groups within the area.

    • The audience area will be demarcated with bollards, with benches placed at a safe distance, a minimum of one metre apart. A separate standing area, identified with signs, will be located behind the bench rows.

    • Social distancing in the standing area will be maintained through marked standing spots, which will be drawn on the ground with chalk.

    • Access control and safe distancing will be supervised and enforced by security staff.

  • Event attendees must practise good hand and coughing hygiene: it is recommended that hands are sanitised before entering and leaving the area, and we ask that you cough into a tissue or to your elbow. We ask that unnecessary shouting is minimised in the audience to prevent the dispersal of aerosolised droplets. Hand sanitiser will be available to spectators at the entrance to the area.

  • At the conclusion of the event, audiences must leave the area in an orderly manner and practise safe distancing. Our security staff will assist in maintaining safe distancing upon exiting. We ask the audiences not to stay behind to meet performers in the immediate vicinity of the stage. All outdoor benches will be sanitised after each concert.

  • For hygiene reasons, there will be no printed leaflets available at performance venues at this year’s Etno-Espa events. You can access concert information through posters at the performance venue, or online at www.etno-espa.fi.

  • Please follow our Facebook page after the event, in case there is a need for health authorities to trace possible infection chains.

These safety protocols will be updated and may change according to new directions and restrictions from the relevant authorities.