Cinemas and theaters, Conte responds to Muti: closed to reduce sociability and relieve traffic congestion

Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte responded to the appeal of conductor Riccardo Muti who yesterday, from the pages of Corriere della Sera, called for “reviving theaters.” Also the Corriere della Sera published Conte’s reply this morning. “Dear maestro Muti, I respond to your heartfelt appeal, published yesterday in the pages of this Newspaper,” the premier began, “and I take the opportunity to share some considerations with you and readers. Your reflections touch me deeply, and I do not think they have left readers indifferent. You are right: the decision to close concert halls and theaters is objectively ’serious.’ Concerts, theatrical performances constitute nourishment for the spirit, nourishment for the soul. Precisely because it is serious, it was a particularly painful decision. We were forced to make it because the primary goal must now be to regain control of the epidemiological curve and prevent its continued rise from compromising the efficiency of our health care system and, with it, the resilience of the entire social and economic system.”

“This is a decision we have not taken lightly,” Conte continued, “because we are aware that all the players in the entertainment world-artists, musicians, authors, entrepreneurs, technicians, workers-have been suffering enormous hardship for many months now. The same security protocols, while offering greater guarantees to prevent contagion, also severely limit the presence of the public, contributing to the general depletion of this as well as other sectors of activity.”

The goal, according to the premier, is to reduce sociality. “The criterion that guided us was not to indiscriminately hit a sector deemed ’superfluous’ compared to others,” Conte wrote. “Instead, we have intervened on all those sectors of activity-evening catering and related activities, fitness, entertainment-that offer opportunities for sociability, whether high or not. Sectors of activity that contribute - directly and indirectly - to generate gatherings and aggregations of people, and that generate, especially in the evening hours, influxes on public transportation and multiply the opportunities for contagion. Similarly, to relieve traffic congestion and opportunities for contagion during daylight hours, we have encouraged smart working and the use of distance learning in secondary schools. There is also another aspect to consider. The reduction of social occasions and gathering times also means that the number of personal contacts is drastically reduced. This greatly facilitates, in the case of people who are caught positive at Covid-19, tracking operations and, therefore, eases the current overburdening of prevention departments. We are forced to make these additional sacrifices.”

“But we do not intend at all to give up beauty, culture, music, art, cinema, theater,” Conte concludes. “We need the nourishment we derive from these activities and the capacity for dreaming that they inspire in us. We intend to return as soon as possible to enjoy these emotions in company, sharing the muted harmony that is established in the presence of a neighbor, even if s-known. Our spiritual dimension could not survive without this experience.” Finally, Conte assures that, together with the Minister of Cultural Heritage Dario Franceschini, the government is working “to get microphones, spotlights, projectors turned back on as soon as possible, and to ensure the conditions for an effective relaunch of all the activities of the performing arts, relying on the commitment, energy and intelligence of everyone.”

Cinemas and theaters, Conte responds to Muti: closed to reduce sociability and relieve traffic congestion

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