Indoor theatres, music and performance venues can reopen from 15 Aug 2020

Published: Sunday, 16th August 2020, 5:32pm

Florida State University_ Image by David Mark from Pixabay
Florida State University Image by David Mark from Pixabay

The plan set out in the ‘roadmap to recovery’ which was paused for two weeks will resume from Saturday 15 August in England – except for specific areas where local restrictions are in place.

Indoor theatres, music and performance venues will be able to reopen with socially distanced audiences under updated performing arts guidance published by the Government. This follows a successful series of pilots and marks stage 4 of the government’s 5-stage roadmap for the return of professional performing arts.

A number of pilots will now take place at event venues across the country to help plan how best to restart indoor business events and implement social distancing practices. Business events and conferences will be permitted to resume from 1 October provided rates of infection remain at current levels.

The Government will continue to review these measures announced on August 13, which are based upon the very latest infection rates.

More detail on the new enforcement measures will be set out in the coming week.

Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said:

The nation’s hard work to keep the virus under control means we can now make further careful progress on recovery with allowing audiences back for indoor performances, fans back at sports events and the reopening of more Covid-19 secure leisure businesses. We must all continue to Stay Alert but today’s welcome news means these organisations can finally get going safely, and we can enjoy more of the things we love as a nation.I have no doubt that they will work incredibly hard to keep their fans, patrons, and customers safe“.