(Credit: Staatsoper Hamburg official website)

The Staatsoper Hamburg has announced that it will shut down until further notice due to the current epidemiological situation in Germany.

The opera house has also stated that it is suspending all further ticket sales. The Staatsoper Hamburg thus joins a growing list of theaters and opera houses in Germany that have opted to close for the extended period of time due to the lack of visibility and planning possibilities.

German Parliament has adopted changes to the Infection Protection Act, providing the German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s federal government the power to impose stricter COVID-19 measures without consultation of the federal states. Large parts of Germany are deeply in the red zone with the 7-day incidence rate above the threshold value of 100, and thus must go into lockdown. Cultural venues and leisure facilities must stay closed until the 7-day incidence rate drops below 100 for 5 consecutive days. The new law thus adds to the greater uncertainty over any prospective reopening.

The current 7-day incidence rate in Hamburg stands at 105.