Broadway theatres will remain dark into September due to COVID-19

New York City's Broadway theatres will remain shuttered through the summer, with no official return date yet set.

The Broadway League, a national trade association for the theatre industry, said Tuesday all musicals, plays andperformances will be suspended untilat least Sept. 6 due to the pandemic. Theatres are offering returns or exchanges on tickets already sold.

New York'sfamed theatrical district initially announced a temporary shutdownMarch 12, as COVID-19 began its spread across the U.S. New York has been hit the hardest of all states, with some reports estimating COVID-related deaths at more than 24,000 so far.

The Broadway League says it's working withgovernment officials, unions andhealth experts on plans to reopen.

While parts of upstate New York will begin a phased reopening later this week,tightly packed audiences and ticket holders who tend to skew older in age are just some of the factors that will make it more difficult for Broadway to open its doors anytime soon.

Safety measures to protect workers and performers will also be a challenging task, as in many other parts of North America.

Thirty-one productions, including recent Tony award winners Hadestown, Dear Evan Hansen and Hamilton,were running at the time of the Great White Way's initial closure. Of the 31, eight new shows were in previews.

Disney announced it will make the film version of Hamilton available to stream in July. The movie was previously slated to have a theatrical release in October of 2021.