Met Opera furloughs 20 percent of administrative staff in response to pandemic

New York’s Metropolitan Opera announced Wednesday that it would furlough about 20 percent of staffers for the duration of the coronavirus outbreak as it seeks to mitigate the economic fallout from the crisis. 

The opera’s general manager Peter Gelb told ABC News that the organization would furlough about 1 in 5 of its 237 full-time staffers. Eleven others will move to part-time employment for the duration of the outbreak.

Gelb added to ABC that he has forgone his own salary, ended pay to orchestra members as of March and still expects the organization to run as much as a $60 million deficit on a $308 million budget, according to the news network. 

The furloughs follow the Met’s decision to cancel the remainder of its shows for the 2019-2020 season; operas typically are performed at the company through May.

“We regret to announce that the Met has canceled the remainder of the 2019–20 season, which was to have ended May 9, 2020, due to the coronavirus pandemic. This includes all performances and Live in HD transmissions,” Met officials said at the time.

“This decision, as difficult and disappointing as it is for our audience and for the entire company, was unavoidable in light of the unprecedented challenges ahead,” the Met continued. 

The news of the furloughs comes as nonessential businesses have shuttered due to social distancing measures put in place by state and local governments. Millions of Americans have filed for unemployment as a result of these shutdowns, with some government officials predicting that the unemployment rate is comparable to the Great Depression.