(Credit: © Deutsches Nationaltheater und Staatskapelle Weimar)

After only few days of extending the theater closure until March 2021, the Deutsches Nationaltheater and Staatskapelle Weimar announced a further shutdown extension, this time until April 2021.

The latest extension came as a result of a meeting between the Minister of Culture of the State of Thuringia Benjamin-Immanuel Hoff, and directors of all the state theaters.

As per the previous press release, the rehearsals will be discontinued until the end of January in order to reduce contacts. The opera house has reiterated its intention to notify audience members in a timely manner about the possible resumption of performances.

The Deutsches Nationaltheater and Staatskapelle Weimar thus joins a long list of German theaters and opera houses that have shut down until at least April 2021.

The German government has imposed a national hard lockdown until Jan. 31, 2021, due to the worsening situation regarding COVID-19. The next meeting between German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the Prime Ministers of German federal states will be held on Jan. 19, 2021. Per multiple sources, the German government is considering an even harder lockdown in the next period.