Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has extended the lockdown until May 3, resulting in the closure of all Italian theaters.

Italy was originally expected to open on April 13 but due the coronavirus and the the fatality totaling 18,849, more than any other country, Conte decided to extend. He stated, extending for another three weeks is “a difficult but necessary decision for which I assume full political responsibility”.’

The new extension will disrupt a number of productions including Rome’s new production of “Katya Kabanova,” La Fenice’s productions of “Rigoletto” and “Farnace,” Teatro Regio’s “La Damnation de Faust” and “St. Matthew’s Passion,” the Teatro alla Scala’s “Pelleas et Melisande” and “Tannhauser,” Teatro Comunale di Bologna’s “Luisa Miller,” “Adriana Lecouvreur,” and “L’Elisir d’Amore,” and Teatro La Piacenza’s “Pelleas et Melisande,” among others.

Italy has 143,626 confirmed cases of the coronavirus.