Boris Johnson Says That Mass Virus Testing to Allow Theatres to Reopen Without Social Distancing is 'A Long Way Off'
He continued to say, 'The science is almost there, and as soon as we can do that then you do have the possibility of theatres… able to open again.'
By: Chloe Rabinowitz Sep. 18, 2020
The Stage has reported that Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that mass coronavirus testing, which would allow for theatres to reopen without social distancing is "a long way off".
Read the full story HERE.
Johnson was asked by Julian Knight, chair of the Culture Select Committee, whether he recognized that "smart ways" would be needed to ensure theatres and venues can reopen at a specific date, and he responded:
"Yes I do, but you are right to stress smart solutions. To get people to break the rules on social distancing, as it were, to sit Cheek by Jowl in a theatre again, you will need lateral flow testing of the kind we are on the brink of getting right - pregnancy-style testing."
He continued to say: "We are a long way off, still some way off, having those instant, pregnancy-style, liberating tests, that tell you whether you are infectious or not. The science is almost there, and as soon as we can do that then you do have the possibility of theatres... able to open again."
Knight shared:
"I don't want a second national lockdown. It would be wrong for this country and we are going to do everything in our power to prevent it," Johnson said, adding: "Can we afford it? I very much doubt the financial consequences would be anything but disastrous. We have to make sure we beat the disease by the means we have set out."
Read the full story HERE.
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