This morning our collective has decided to close MayDay Rooms with immediate effect due to the coronavirus outbreak in the UK and around the world. This includes cancelling all meetings and events at our space until after the Easter holidays. The government’s inaction on this matter, and its decision to protect profits instead of people, is dangerous (if not murderous) to the most vulnerable people in society. We believe that we need to take action where they will not, and encourage all activist groups, and arts, cultural, and civil society organisations to follow our example.

We would like to set a precedent of care for our friends and those around us while the government is slow to react. Social distancing is an act of solidarity. We must collectively act in a way that reflects our concerns for the weakest among us. Our building is used by a really wide range of people and groups, many of them who are at risk – either because they are older, have existing medical conditions, or because they struggle to access healthcare. We believe that we need to protect them. The best measure is for everyone to implement immediate social distancing (or anti-social distancing if you’re that way inclined!) This means trying to stay at home and avoiding any unnecessary social contact.

Even people who are not themselves particularly at risk from the virus pose a grave danger to more vulnerable people as they can transmit the virus and make the situation worse for everyone, by precipitating a breakdown of the healthcare system.

We encourage everyone to think about what we can all collectively do to protect the oppressed groups over the next few weeks: the street homeless, sex workers, gig-economy workers, those without papers, the poor and elderly, all the incarcerated, and friends with low and precarious incomes.

We apologise to everyone who had anticipated holding events or meetings in our space. Our collective will be working remotely and will still be answering emails at our usual addresses. Please also follow us on social media as we will be updating our pages with further political news and resources during this time.

Solidarity, The MayDay Rooms Team