Live music will be allowed in state bars, clubs, and restaurants for the first time since mid-March when pandemic closures began. However, business owners must apply for approval with the State Fire Marshal’s office and the Louisiana Department of Public Health before the band plays. State Fire Marshal Butch Browning says to gain approval businesses must meet certain criteria.
“There’s separation, there’s a certain standard to the HVAC system in the building, the social distancing between the band and the people, as well as the social distancing that’s already required of the patrons of a restaurant and bar,” says Browning.
Browning says the State Fire Marshall’s office will collect data from businesses applying for permission for live entertainment, but the final decision is made by the Department of Health.
“The last couple of days of cases in Louisiana it has seen and increase in our state and that’s concerning. And I am sure that plays into the Department of Health’s recommendations as to what might be allowed and what might not be allowed,” says Browning.
Browning says the State’s Fire Marshal’s role is to offer guidance for businesses.
“It’s not a matter of because I’ve always had a band in this building, and I want to have a band. There is a lot of things that have to be done differently. There’s a lot of mitigation efforts based on best practices,” says Browning.
Criteria includes that the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system must exchange the air at a minimum of six times an hour, 12 feet separation of audience and performers, temperature checks, and management must provide face masks to attendees.
Reported by Brooke Thorington
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