How long do we have to wait?

I accept that there are differing views on the matter of restraints to business due to the lockdowns imposed by various governments due to the Covid pandemic. Some people are comfortable in their ‘bubble’ and are content to accept the impositions on lifestyle and business, whilst others are wanting to see greater freedoms, albeit with sensible safety precautions in place, in order to see greater economic and social activity.

From our perspective it is encouraging to see that the prospect of going to the theatre in London’s West End, before Christmas, is looking very likely. The UK’s Culture Secretary has suggested that theatres may be able to reopen fully by Christmas – through government dubbed ‘Operation Sleeping Beauty – with mass testing for audiences, meaning social distancing rules could be dropped.

He said: “Mass indoor events are now in my sights. Socially-distanced audiences have been allowed since mid-August, but we need to start filling seats in much larger numbers – not just for the audiences, not just for the venues and livelihoods who depend on them, but for the entire urban economy, too. Theatre is a lynchpin of London’s West End and its absence is painfully reflected in its deserted streets.”