Confirmed: Theatres in London to close down after Tuesday
It has been confirmed that London's theatres will have to cease performances from tomorrow night – with London moving into tier 3 from Wednesday.
MPs were told the news today by the Health Secretary Matt Hancock, with other areas in the southeast – Essex and Hertfordshire – also affected. The news was later confirmed by Rupa Huq, the MP for Ealing Central and Acton in west London.
All West End shows with performance dates from Wednesday morning will have to postponed due to government regulations regarding risk mitigation.
This is down to London moving into "tier three" – the toughest restriction level (where pubs, bars and restaurants have to close, though shops remain open), while cases are reportedly rising across the capital's boroughs.
Venues have been able to reopen since 3 December in the capital, but there doesn't now seem to be scope for shows to return this side of the new year.
Any ticket holders for affected should wait to be contacted by their point of purchase – it is not currently known how long these measures will last (though there will be a re-evaluation of all tiers across England on 16 December), though reports suggest London-specific measures will be in place until early January at the earliest.
