WGGB has responded to the Government announcement yesterday evening (14 June 2021) that the final stage of the Covid roadmap will be delayed until 19 July.

The announcement came after concerns over higher rates of transmission and hospital admissions of the Delta variant, compared to the Alpha variant.

WGGB General Secretary Ellie Peers said:

“We understand that the Government must exercise caution in the wake of rising case rates, but we know from our playwright members that this delay will come as a bitter disappointment to our world-renowned theatre sector, which has been one of the worst-hit in the pandemic and has been planning for the 21 June opening for many months.

“We believe that a Government-backed insurance scheme for this sector, similar to that in film and TV, will mitigate further disruption that the virus and future mutations might cause.

“In addition, while the final tranche of the Self-Employed Income Support Scheme (SEISS) will bring much-need support to freelancers until September, there continue to be three-million self-employed who have been left out in the cold, and are yet to receive a penny.

“It is not too late for the Government to right this injustice and end the financial hardship, not to mention extreme distress, that has affected so many.”

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