England To No Longer Require Masks in Theaters

According to Newsweek, England's Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced on Thursday that the Plan B Covid restrictions put in place to prevent the spread of the Omicron variant have been ended. Beginning this past Thursday, January 20th, vaccine passports and face masks are no longer required for large public events and gatherings, as Johnson stated that the public is being entrusted to use their own judgement concerning whether to wear one or not.

The mask mandate for theatre and cinemas was put in place on December 8th, 2021, and remained in place for just over one month. While the government still recommends wearing masks in crowded and compact spaces, it is no longer required. The lifted restriction also encourages the end of working from home and the return to the workplace. According to The Stage, theatre producers and theatres themselves have stated that they believe the work from home mandates were harmful to ticket sales.

The Stage also took a statement from the director of the Theatres Trust, Jon Morgan. He stated, "Theatres in England have not had the buoyant festive period they so desperately needed after nearly two years of the pandemic. We hope that lifting the work from home guidance will encourage more people to return to town centres and visit their local theatres, giving them a much-needed boost."