(Credit: Sven Helge Czichy)

The Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden has announced the extension of its shutdown until at least May 1, 2021.

“On March 8 we were allowed to resume with rehearsals, but the resumption of performances depends on many factors. We can say that it will be a while before the curtain rises again,” said the opera house in the official statement on its website.

Thus, the Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden has joined opera houses in Berlin, Staatsoper Stuttgart, and most recently the  Nationaltheater Mannheim and Oper Köln in extending closure until May 2021.

The German federal government and Prime Ministers of German federal states have agreed to extend the lockdown in Germany by applying emergency brakes until at least April 18, 2021. Chancellor Angela Merkel publicly voiced her dissatisfaction with the agreement, stating that the country needs a much harder lockdown in order to endure the new COVID-19 wave that is driven by new and highly infectious SARS-CoV-2 variants.

Robert Koch Institute has announced that the 7-day infection incidence in Germany currently stands at 135.2.