Credit: Bayerische Staatsoper official website

The Bayerische Staatsoper has announced the postponement of stage rehearsals for Aribert Reimann’s massive opera “Lear” due to one case of COVID-19 in the production team.

Per an official statement on the company’s website, one positive case of COVID-19 was detected early on due to the established and frequent testing protocol at the opera house. As a result, all the persons involved were released from their duties and asked to go into isolation.

Additionally, the Bayerische Staatsoper has canceled performances of Richard Strauss‘ “Ariadne auf Naxos” on April 30 and May 5, 9 &13, as well as the production of Verdi‘s “I Masnadieri” on April 29, and May 2 & 7, 2021.

Germany is undergoing a fierce third wave of COVID-19 driven by the highly infectious and aggressive new SARS-CoV-2 variants. The seven-day incidence rate in Munich currently stands at 174.3. The German government will apply a universal emergency brake throughout the whole territory of Germany; the law will require regions that log seven-day incidence rate above 100 for three consecutive days to go into lockdown.

Germany logged 24,884 new COVID-19 cases on April 20, 2021.