Theatres Trust Responds to New Virus Restrictions in the UK

New restrictions have been put in place in the UK in order to stop the spread of COVID-19, including venues being forced to close at 10pm, no spectators for the foreseeable future at sports venues, pubs, bars and restaurants being restricted to table service only, and more.

Theatres Trust Director Jon Morgan has responded to the new restrictions with the following:

While not directly mentioning theatres, this curfew demonstrates that town and city centre businesses such as theatres continue to be under threat. Theatres that were considering reopening with social distancing in place will be less likely to take the risk. Crucially the six month time frame signals that we will not see theatres being able to fully reopen in the near future - the all-important Stage 5 in the government's recovery roadmap.

With the job retention scheme ceasing at the end of October, it will herald more job losses, risks more theatres closing permanently - and will result in irreversible damage to our cultural landscape. It is imperative that the government considers sector-specific support such as extending the furlough scheme until such time as it is safe for theatres to reopen fully.

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