Austrian Government Cancels the Wiener Opernball Due to COVID-19 Risk

The traditional Wiener Opernball has been cancelled by the Austrian government due to high COVID-19 risk, OperaWire reports.

"It would be irresponsible to organize the Opernball in a usual way," said Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz. "The fact that the festivals and celebrations are the places of contagion prompted us to cancel the event."

"The Wiener Staatsoper and other cultural institutions have put enormous amount of energy into the security concepts, and we are concentrating all our efforts supporting them and keeping the cultural scene as safe as possible," said Vice-Chancellor Werner Kogler.

The General Manager of the Wiener Staatsoper Bogdan Roščić said that he regrets the decision but is glad that it was made early.

"Equally important for the State Opera is the promise by the State Secretary Andrea Mayer that the owner will cover the loss of income. We all hope that we will reunite in February 2022 for a brilliant opera ball," said Roščić.

Read more on OperaWire.

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