Performing arts allowed to restart in England from Saturday
England’s performing arts sector will be allowed to reopen from Saturday as the government announced a further easing of coronavirus social distancing restrictions.
Artists, musicians, actors and dancers will be able to go back to work from this weekend by putting on shows with socially distanced outdoor crowds, according to culture secretary Oliver Dowden.
Dowden said that the government was also piloting ways to begin indoor performances as well.
Beauticians, tatooists, spas, tanning salons and other close contact services will be allowed to reopen next Monday.
Dowden added that this latest easing of lockdown will be followed by the reopening of recreational sport, gyms, pools and leisure centres on 25 July.
“Normal life is slowly returning,” he said.
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“This is an important milestone for our performing artists who have been waiting in the wings since March.”
He added: “All these measures we are taking about are conditional and reversible, and we will not hesitate to impose lockdowns where there are local spikes as we saw in Leicester where things remain closed and any other place where that is necessary.”
The easing of lockdown comes after the government unveiled a £1.57bn support package for the arts, culture and heritage industries on Sunday.
The package will provide funding for thousands of galleries, museums, venues, theatres, historic palaces and independent cinemas.
The package will include a £1.15bn pot of support for arts and cultural institutions across England through a mix of loans and grants.
This will be made up of £880m in grants and £270m in loans.
There will also be £100m for “cultural national institutions” such as English Heritage Trust and £120m earmarked for infrastructure investment to “restart construction on cultural infrastructure and for heritage construction projects in England” that were halted due to Covid-19.
A further £188m will go to the devolved administrations to administer.