Government moves to clarify confusion over venue attendance numbers

The Government has been forced to clarify the number of people allowed to attend cultural venues following conflicting statements and widespread confusion over new restrictions.
The Department of Culture, Heritage, and the Gaeltacht stated, on Wednesday, that events in venues such as cinemas, galleries, and theatres, where there is physical distancing and controlled measures, can continue under current guidelines, with limits of 50 for indoor events and 200 for outdoor.
However, health minister Stephen Donnelly later said indoor concerts could not exceed six people from three different households.
This led to confusion, with the National Campaign for the Arts calling for clarity about cultural events.
In a statement from the Taoiseach's department, a spokeswoman said: "The following clarification applies to measures introduced with respect to the cultural sector:
"These venues can continue to operate where appropriate physical distancing and all other protective measures can continue to be maintained. Individual groupings attending these venues must be limited to six people from no more than three households.
"Overall attendance must adhere to an overall limit of 50 people.
"All other indoor cultural events are subject to the six-person maximum rule. All outdoor events are subject to the new limits of 15.
"These events are deemed as mass gatherings where there is a concentration of people at a specific location for a specific purpose over a set period of time."