Giuseppe Conte has responded to Riccardo Muti’s letter imploring the prime minister to reopen theaters.

In a letter to the maestro, Conte said, “I respond to your heartfelt appeal … and I take the opportunity to share some considerations with you and with the readers. Your reflections touch me deeply, and I do not think they have left readers indifferent. You are right: the decision to close concert halls and theaters is objectively ‘serious.’ Concerts, theatrical performances are food for the spirit, food for the soul. It was a particularly painful decision precisely because it was serious. We were forced to take it because the primary objective must now be to regain control of the epidemiological curve and prevent its continuous rise from compromising the efficiency of our health system and, with it, the stability of the entire social and economic system.”

He added, “It is a decision that we did not take lightly because we are aware that all the protagonists of the entertainment world – artists, musicians, authors, entrepreneurs, technicians, workers – have been suffering enormous difficulties for many months now. The same security protocols, if on the one hand offer greater guarantees of preventing contagion, on the other hand they severely limit the presence of the public, contributing to the general impoverishment of this as well as other sectors of activity.”

He concluded the letter by noting that the government will not give up beauty, culture, music, art, cinema, and theater at all. He also noted that he and Minister of Culture Franceschini are working to get theaters back as soon and will ensure that the relaunch is effective.

Prime Minister Conte closed down theaters on Oct. 25 due to surging COVID-19 cases. The new lockdown has caused numerous protests in the Northern regions of Italy and has caused many artists to speak out. However, the government is preparing to unveil a funding package for businesses penalized by the latest coronavirus restrictions.

Here is the complete Letter to Maestro Muti

The criterion that guided us was not that of indiscriminately targeting a sector considered “superfluous” compared to others. Instead, we intervened in all those sectors of activity – evening catering and related activities, fitness, entertainment – which offer opportunities for sociability, whether high or not. Sectors of activity that contribute – directly and indirectly – to generating gatherings and aggregations of people, and that generate, especially in the evening, influxes on public transport and multiply the opportunities for contagion. Similarly, to decongest traffic and contagion opportunities during the day, we have encouraged smart working and the use of distance learning in secondary schools. There is also another aspect to consider. The reduction of social occasions and moments of aggregation also involves a drastic reduction in the number of personal contacts. This greatly facilitates, in the case of people who are positively surprised at Covid-19, the tracing operations and, therefore, lightens the current overload of work of the prevention departments. We are forced to make these further sacrifices.