Theatres might seem like a Covid-19 breeding ground: many people in a confined space.
But there is little medical evidence establishing theatres as a source of outbreaks, even before social distancing practices were widely implemented.
Before the last lockdown, when theatres were allowed to reopen, venues across England revealed that no known cases of Covid-19 were identified via NHS Test and Trace since reopening to the public
Boris Johnson will set out the route out of lockdown on February 22. There are speculations and rumours about what he is expected to announce and we don’t know yet if the arts will be included in this roadmap.
London's theatres have been hit hard by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and they are desperate to reopen.
We have some suggestions to reopen theatres safely with precautionary measures to ensure the safety of the theatregoers, when the time will come:
1 - Vaccine evidence for those who had it and rapid testing for those who haven't.
2- “Seat out to help out scheme”, a ticket discount system (similar to “Eat out to help out”), from Monday to Friday
3 - Contactless purchases available
4 – Venues regularly sanitised and professionally cleaned on a continual basis.
A clear timeline for reopenings and for giving oxygen to a sector on its knees is needed. Now more than ever