Musician The Anchoress has opened up about performing with air purifiers on stage due to her “clinically vulnerable” status.
The singer cancelled a number of 2021 tour dates during the COVID pandemic due to her high risk status, saying a doctor advised her against performing.
Now, she has responded to fans’ questions about her stage set-up. “Lots of people asking what’s in front of me on stage…” she wrote.
“No they aren’t fridges/monitors, they’re air purifiers to make it safer for me as a clinically vulnerable performer.”
See the explanation and contraptions below.
Lots of people asking what’s in front of me on stage…
No they aren’t fridges/monitors, they’re air purifiers to make it safer for me as a clinically vulnerable performer.
2 x Mini Blasts made by @SmartairUk angled on amp stands. Air quality is monitored in real time. pic.twitter.com/gHJejY4eCB
— The Anchoress (@The_Anchoress) January 8, 2023
At the start of last year, figures from the UK live music industry spoke out on the government’s decision to scrap self-isolation rules in England for those who test positive for COVID.
Then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson revealed details of his “living with COVID” plan on last February – outlining that factors such as vaccination, testing, and anti-viral drugs will be enough to keep people safe, rather than expecting infected people to stay at home.
Music Venue Trust CEO Mark Davyd described the easing of restrictions as “very much a mixed bag of changes with positive and negative aspects for the music industry”.
It led The Anchoress to have to push her tour dates back again due to her clinical vulnerability. “I’m very sorry to say that I now won’t be able to perform any indoor shows booked for this year due to being clinically vulnerable and the continuing high level of COVID cases and the planned scrapping of any remaining safety measures,” she told her followers on Twitter.
“This is not a decision I have taken lightly but it is unfortunately inevitable due to the medical advice being given to me in light of the current situation.”
In other news, The Anchoress was recently granted a stalking protection order against ex-Mansun singer and guitarist Paul Draper.
The singer, real name Catherine Anne Davies, has allegedly been sent “abusive and sexually orientated” messages by Draper whom she helped get back into songwriting a few years ago. According to the Daily Mail, a Guildford court has imposed an interim stalking protection order at the request of Surrey Police.