Beginning on Monday, May 25th, the city of Nashville, TN entered phase two of its reopening plan which allows for certain live performances to resume with social distancing measures in place.
According to the “Restaurants & Bars Serving Food” section official reopening roadmap for the city of Nashville, phase two stipulates that “Live entertainment [is] allowed with proper social distancing—no more than 2 performers at one time, dance floors remain closed.” While it opens the possibility for live shows, phase two of Nashville’s reopening roadmap stipulates that bar areas in the newly reopened performance spaces must remain closed. Venues also are required to open and 75% capacity (up from 50% capacity during phase one) and clean all surfaces after every use, while all employees must wear masks and be screened daily for coronavirus symptoms.
Of note, the plan separates “Restaurants & Bars Serving Food” and “Socially-Driven Businesses” (like bars, clubs, karaoke bars, tours, and “live entertainment”) into separate categories. While phase two allows for live performances to begin under the aforementioned circumstances at “Restaurants & Bars Serving Food”, “Socially-Driven Businesses” will remain closed as part of phase two.
Assuming the city can continue to maintain “positive improvement” or stability in the deciding metrics for the next 14 days, phase three will begin on Monday, June 8th. Phase three will allow “Restaurants & Bars Serving Food” to reopen at full capacity with bar areas open at 50% capacity, while “Socially-Driven Businesses” will be allowed to re-open at 50% capacity. The plan notes, however, that if metrics indicate a negative trend over the next two weeks, the city will return to phase two.
Nashville, affectionately known as the Music City, has suffered through a number of setbacks to live performances in 2020, from the devastating tornadoes that ripped through the city in early March to the shutdown of mass gatherings shortly thereafter. Now, after a few long, hard months, live music is beginning to return to Nashville.
You can read the full, four-phase plan for re-opening Nashville here.