The message: Audience restrictions are extended for concerts and theater

Stefan Forsberg, chairman of the board of Swedish Performing Arts and director of the Concert Hall in Stockholm, says that he is refined at this point and that the whole society has become accustomed to a constant back and forth.

Still, he had hoped for relief sometime in the fall.

TT: How important would the last relief be?

- For us, it is very important, we have a house with 1,800 places and we have sold thousands of subscriptions.

We hope to be able to welcome the audience back from 19 October and that is still our hope, but now we will see how it changes and how long you wait for step four, says Stefan Forsberg.

Step four was expected in September and means, among other things, that participation restrictions at public gatherings will be removed, something that now does not seem to be happening.

"Return to arm's length hatch"

Many of this autumn's cinema premieres have already been postponed pending clearer information, and Peter Fornstam, CEO of Svenska Bio, thinks that the Swedish Public Health Agency should explain from an infection perspective "why it is important to turn on culture?".

- The worst thing would be if those who moved their dates got tired and sold to a streaming service.

The cinemas' economic downturn continues as a consequence of an incomprehensible desk product from the Swedish Public Health Agency.

Returning to the arm's length gap as it was in 2020, without the spread of infection in cinemas, the problem is solved, says Peter Fornstam.

Joppe Pihlgren at Svensk Live says that he constantly talks to concert organizers who ask if they can do something in September or October.

- We do not have any answers there and it is clear that people get frustrated by it, he says.

"Culture punished"

Calle Nathanson, CEO of Folkets Hus och Parker, believes that it is important to put health first and that vaccination coverage and the spread of infection determine which decisions the government and authorities are forced to make.

At the same time, he thinks it is remarkable that public transport no longer has any restrictions.

- Once again we are back in that strange situation where it becomes a bit like culture is the virus.

We take a huge responsibility, everyone is careful that we take out of this situation, but we must introduce measures that are equal in society.

It is as if you are once again punishing the culture.