(Credit: © Wiener Staatsoper GmbH / Michael Pöhn)

The Wiener Staatsoper has announced that it will close until further notice, due to the Austrian government’s COVID-19 regulations. Meanwhile, Oper Graz has announced that it will remain closed until at least March 31, 2021.

The previous date for reopening cultural venues in Austria was Feb. 28, but the great uncertainty over the new SARS-CoV-2 variants spreading uncontrollably in the federal state of Tyrol is forcing the Austrian government to review its reopening plans. The cabinet of Chancellor Sebastian Kurz favors lockdown until Easter 2021. Germany has closed its borders with Austria and the Czech Republic.

Austrian opera houses have been closed since early November 2020, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic crisis. The Wiener Staatsoper has switched to streaming, with a new production of Bizet’s “Carmen” set to be broadcast on Feb. 21, 2020.

The opera house itself was a victim of a large COVID-19 outbreak in January, with several principal artists in “Carmen” infected with the disease.