Are you goin' jazzin'?

The jazz is back! But that may not even be the biggest news in Cork this week as we heard about the further relaxation of restrictions.

The return of high numbers of Covid-19 infections and high numbers of people in hospitals and in ICU beds is an unwelcome return to a past we thought we were leaving behind. You can never be sure how this disease changes and affects us.

Yesterday, Wednesday, there were 86 Covid-19 patients in ICU with 14 admissions over the past 24 hours. That is the most Covid-19 patients in critical care since March.

We are not in the same situation that we were late last year and early this year as our vaccination levels are now so high, but the numbers are still worrying.

Recent trends have meant the Government have had to row back on lifting more restrictions on Friday than they had anticipated.

However on Tuesday, An Taoiseach Micheál Martin announced that nightclubs are set to re-open from Friday, while pub and restaurant opening hours will also return to normal. Religious services and weddings can also proceed without capacity limits from Friday.

Nightclubs are set to finally reopen at full capacity for those with Covid passes. However, they will have to observe other restrictions – including the collection of contact tracing details and the wearing of masks, except when eating, drinking and dancing.

Further specific sectoral guidance will be developed for nightclubs, but has not yet been announced at the time of going to print but was discussed yesterday by Government with an array of stakeholders.

Audiences will have to be fully seated at all indoor music, theatre and sporting events - although people will be permitted to stand at their seats.

There are a variety of strange anomalies in the guidelines including that people can dance at nightclubs but have to sit at indoor gigs. There’s no clear reason why but venues like Cork Opera House have sold out gigs this week and for the Guinness Cork Jazz Festival that were standing only downstairs. Presumably they now have to put seating back in for these gigs and inform some customers who bought tickets that they cannot now attend?

We contacted the Opera House but they don’t want to comment until further announcements are made.

However for them and venues like Cyprus Avenue, having no standing gigs changes things considerably, reducing their capacities significantly. Can they still make the maths work around some gigs? Promoters putting on gigs in these venues may lose out too.

The Guinness Cork Jazz Festival might be “Ireland’s first big festival in over 18 months” as Guinness described it and let’s hope it’s another huge success.

I’m going to some gigs this weekend and hopefully it will be a great, safe weekend. Let’s make it a great, local Cork Jazz Weekend. See you out there!