(Credit: Emmerson Productions Snape Maltings)

Edit: Number of new COVID-19 cases in the UK was 846 the day of the publication of this article.

Openings of theatres and concert halls with a live audience in the UK, particularly those planned for August 1, have been delayed by at least a period of two weeks.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the decision in the Downing Street briefing on July 31. It was time to “squeeze that brake pedal in order to keep that virus under control,” Johnson announced.

The British government’s decision follows the rapid rise in COVID-19 cases in the country, with now approximately 4,200 new cases per day. UK’s Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty has warned that the country has “reached the limits of opening up society.”

Culture secretary Oliver Dowden added the government is “hoping for a postponement of a fortnight.”

The decision of the UK government comes within few hours of Snape Maltings and the Wigmore Hall announcing reopening plans for August and September.