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| Poster for "The Phantom of the Opera" / Courtesy of S&CO |
By Kwon Mee-yoo
The international touring production of "The Phantom of the Opera" halted performances Wednesday for two weeks after one of its ensemble actors was found to have contracted COVID-19.
According to S&CO, the Korean production company, the ensemble actor was confirmed to have been infected with the coronavirus Tuesday. The actor had a normal temperature, but showed other symptoms and was tested Tuesday morning. The infection was confirmed later that night.
The actor, who took part in the Busan leg of the tour from December to February, left the country in early February and returned three weeks ago for the Seoul show, which opened March 14.
After the coronavirus infection was confirmed, the 120 people in the touring production, including actors and crew, all went into self-quarantine. About 20 of them are considered to have had close contact with the actor.
The theater, Blue Square in Yongsan-gu, central Seoul, was also shut down as of Wednesday for disinfection.
"The theater is repeatedly disinfected, and we monitor temperatures and make mask wearing mandatory during the performance. Also, the stage was two meters from the audience and audience members were banned from meeting the actors in person," production company official said.
"The nationality of the confirmed case and the country the infection took place in will be disclosed by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention."
The company said it will temporarily suspend performances for a fortnight through April 14, but an exact notice of when performances will resume will be released later.
Upon the temporary suspension of "The Phantom of the Opera," another large production "Dracula," staged at Charlotte Theater in southern Seoul, will close from Wednesday through April 12 to prevent any further spread of COVID-19.
All big theaters in the country have now temporarily shut down due to the coronavirus.
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