The government has confirmed indoor theatre performances can go ahead from today, as long as social distancing is adhered to.
Although the news comes later than planned, the return of indoor performances is stage four of the Culture Secretary’s plan.
As we continue to move through the phased theatre reopening, Boris Johnson has said the government, “will not hesitate to put on the brakes if required, or to continue to implement local measures to help to control the spread of the virus.”
Johnson has emphasised that, although indoor performances may go ahead, there will be restrictions to places with high infection rates who are under local lockdown.
Last month, Beverley Knight held a social distanced performance at the London Palladium to prove that performances can go ahead successfully, with the venue carrying out strict safety and hygiene measures.
However, this news does come with it drawbacks; many theatres won’t have the financial support to be able to reopen. It is still unknown how long we will have to wait before performances can go ahead without social distancing measures in place.
Words by Neve Gordon-Farleigh.
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