(Credit: Klaus Frahm)

The Culture Department of the Senate of Berlin has announced that it will begin the implementation of a pilot project for the safe reopening of theaters, concert venues, and opera houses.

Audiences will be given SARS-CoV-2 antigen tests in order to assure safe admission. The tests supplement the hygiene and protective measures already specified by the organizers, in particular those of the general hygiene concept of the Senate Department for Culture and Europe. Participating artists and all those involved in the performance will be also tested as part of the institutions’ hygiene concepts.

Staatsoper unter der Linden and Deutsche Oper Berlin will take part in the project, with presentations of Mozart’s “Le Nozze di Figaro” and Zandonai’s “Francesca da Rimini” on April 2 and April 4, 2021 respectively.

All visitors who purchase a personalized ticket in advance must obtain a negative SARS-CoV-2 antigen test in one of the participating test centers on the day of the event. Upon entry, the visitors will then present their current negative test result, their personalized ticket, and their ID card. SARS-CoV-2 antigen testing is free of charge for the audiences as part of the pilot project. During the performances, it is mandatory to wear a medical mouth and nose protection or an FFP2 mask and to comply with the applicable hygiene rules.

The results of the pilot project will be evaluated jointly by all the involved cultural institutions in early April, and made available to interested institutions by the Senate Department for Culture and Europe.

Berlin opera houses have generally shut down until May 1, 2021.