National Arts Council Laying out hats for cash still allowed
We thank Mr Wee Toon Hee for his views on the ongoing busking pilot scheme (Please, let buskers lay out their hats for cash, Dec 9).

The National Arts Council (NAC) is committed to ensuring the safe resumption of live performances across spaces in Singapore, from concert halls to theatres to busking on the streets. With the gradual resumption of live performances, our first priority is to ensure the safety and well-being of both performers and audiences.

The aim of the pilot scheme is to work with venue partners to assess the viability of resuming busking with the necessary safe management measures in place. The key measures include ensuring no direct interaction between buskers and audiences, and maintaining a safe 3m distance between the busker and the audience.

To clarify, buskers are still allowed to place hats or money boxes for audience members to make contributions, with a safe distance of 3m to be observed between the collection point and the busker. However, as an additional precautionary measure, we are encouraging the use of QR codes as a form of contactless transaction.

As more transactions go online in Singapore, we hope our buskers will follow suit. NAC is also assisting buskers less familiar with this form of payment, and will encourage on-site audiences to scan their contributions as well.

We look forward to live busking enlivening our streets again. Following the pilot scheme, we will review the measures and take feedback from the buskers and venue partners before deciding with the authorities how best to resume busking safely.

Elaine Ng
Senior Director, Engagement and Participation
National Arts Council

Source: https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/forum/forum-laying-out-hats-for-cash-still-allowed

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