Speedy testing may help rescue theatres

FAST-turnaround coronavirus tests could pave the way for the return of crowds to theatres and football stadiums as part of plans being drawn up by ministers.

Boris Johnson and Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden have ordered officials to work at ‘extreme pace’ to get live events restarted within weeks to help boost the economy.

Mr Dowden has launched a new drive, codenamed Operation Sleeping Beauty, aimed at saving at least part of the Christmas pantomime season – a financial lifeline for many theatres. And the Treasury team behind the successful Eat Out to Help Out scheme has been asked to look at whether theatres and restaurants could team up to offer cut-price meal deals for those booking to see a show.

But Government sources said developments in rapid testing held the most potential for breathing life back into theatres and sports stadiums. Mr Dowden said fast-turnaround tests could ‘give people who test negative [on the day] a pass to visit the theatre that evening’. He said ministers were examining ‘emerging’ technologies to speed up the return of live audiences. Writing in the Mail on Sunday, Mr Dowden said: ‘We need to start filling seats... not just for the venues... but for the entire urban economy.’

And Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab underlined the Government’s determination to see more people back in workplaces, telling the BBC’s Andrew Marr show: ‘The economy needs to have people back at work.’