Moments ago, the EBU has confirmed that they have made the final decision and that they are going ahead with the organization of this year’s edition of the Eurovision Song Contest under the Scenario B! What does this mean? Here’s a short overview:
Everyone attending the Eurovision Song Contest from abroad is recommended to go into quarantine for 5 days before their trip, and they must test negative for COVID-19 at most 72 hours before they fly. Once in Rotterdam, all delegation members have to stay in their hotels, except when they travel to the Ahoy Arena for rehearsals, live shows and other programme related activities. Everyone working in the Ahoy Arena, including crew, artists and press, will be tested regularly in a special facility next to the arena.
As we all know, all delegations need to record a live-on-tape performance in their home countries, which will be used in case any of the artists are unable to travel to Rotterdam. The expectation with Scenario B is that most (if not all) of the artists are going to be performing live in Rotterdam on the nights of the shows.
A total of nine shows are going to be made – two dress rehearsals of each show, and the three live shows. There would either be no audience in the venue, or a reduced audience, as per the social distancing rules set by the Dutch Government.
500 members of the press are going to be accredited and will be able to attend this year’s event live, whilst another 1000 members of the press will be able to follow all the rehearsals, press conferences, and all other events online from the comfort of their own homes.
The Executive Supervisor of the Eurovision Song Contest, Mr. Martin Osterdahl, stated:
The spirit and tradition of the Eurovision Song Contest is about uniting Europe on one stage and we are very much still determined to achieve this in Rotterdam in May. We are moving forward with our plans to produce a safe Eurovision Song Contest, with all artists performing live in Rotterdam. This protocol demonstrates our commitment to make this happen, with the health and safety of everyone attending, including crew and press, our top priority.
The EBU also stated that they will still keep monitoring the pandemic very closely, and should circumstances change in the coming weeks, the event can be scaled down.
Are you happy with this decision? Let us know in the comments below, or on our social media pages.
