THERE is joy and relief among musicians and artists involved in the live entertainment sector now after finally being able to return to the stage following a two-year Covid-19 interrupted hiatus.

Karyawan president Freddie Fernandez said things were slowly picking up for its members.

The live entertainment sector was the last to be allowed to operate with the government finally giving the green light in May this year.

“We are grateful to the government and authorities that are responsible for making that move (allow ing live entertainment). 

“The musicians and artists are very relieved to be able to earn a living once again,” he told The Malaysian Insight.

On May 15, the government had announced that nightclubs were allowed to operate. 

Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said there would no longer be any prohibited economic sectors from mid-May.

Nightclubs were the only premises that remained on the National Security Council’s negative list since all other sectors were allowed to operate since early this year. 

Fernandez said that event management companies too are allowed to operate now, allowing for more job openings for musicians and artists.

“We can see that events such as music shows, performances and theatre are all back again. So, everyone is busy with their jobs.”

“Of course it takes time to organise events and other live entertainment performances. 

“We now can see some successful concerts happening. So, it’s life as usual.”

“The same goes for theatre and arts. As far as I know, all are back.”

He said that everything is back to normal and they have not got any complaints from the entertainers.

“So far we are getting positive feedback from the entertainers.”

He also added that some of them have started recovering from their financial issues after being out of work during the pandemic. 

The Malaysian Insight had reported in March that about 3,000 musicians and entertainers were affected as they were not allowed to operate. 

When people like sound engineers, artists, music crews and DJs were included, the figures could reach up to 5,000. 

According to the National Security Council standard operating procedure (SOP) dated February 23, Phase 4 prohibits any “entertainment activities” in a pub or nightclub. – September 4, 2022.