'The Joan Sutherland Theatre has good continuous air-flow going in and out, and there have been no known cases of COVID transmission in theatres,' she said. Seeking to reassure nervous audiences, Allan reiterated that everyone entering the Sydney Opera House must be double-vaccinated, or have an exemption, and wear a mask at all times, unless eating or drinking. 'That will make business interruption much easier to manage, and in turn make it easier for business to continue,' she said.

'We just need to work through it a day at a time, performance by performance.'Īllan welcomed national cabinet's announcement on Thursday of a new federal definition of a close contact. 'We've thought through all the different contingencies and are putting all our efforts into keeping our company as safe as we can be and starting the 2022 season with La Boheme,' Allan said. La Boheme will now start on January 4, Turandot is due to open on January 12, while The Marriage of Figaro is set to open on January 27.

Nevertheless, the company intends to proceed with its summer season in Sydney, opening three operas in January. 'But over the last 10 days we've had multiple cases a day.'

'Up until three weeks ago, we'd never had a case of COVID at Opera Australia,' CEO Fiona Allan said.

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