Leading UK arts figures have called for greater clarity from the government regarding compensation as the coronavirus causes theatres and museums around the country to shut down and Tate closes its doors for the first time in 120 years.

In a statement, the actor and director Samuel West, who is the chair of the National Campaign for the Arts, said that in its briefing on Monday evening the government had advised people to stay away from theatres and concert halls “but did not instruct those public spaces to close. The NCA is concerned that UK cultural organisations will therefore be unable to claim compensation for loss of earned income.”

The vast majority of the UK’s theatres have now closed. Several venues cancelled productions before the government’s briefing on Monday, after which the Society of London Theatre and the industry body UK Theatre announced that all its members would close their doors “following official government advice, which stipulates that people should avoid public buildings including theatres”. The groups represent about 50 London theatres and almost 250 others throughout the UK.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest ‘We need firm decisions’ … Samuel West. Photograph: Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images

West drew attention to the risk for freelance individuals as well as organisations and said the whole sector may now be at risk. “We need firm decisions, a clear directive and real support from the government, to enable the £110bn creative industries to survive Covid-19 and help the UK economy to recover.” He highlighted the role that the arts have to play in providing “inspiration, solace and joy” during the crisis and stressed that cultural organisations are “already rallying to see what they can offer remotely”.

Caroline Norbury, CEO of the Creative Industries Federation and Creative England, told the Guardian the government’s response did not go far enough and that many cultural institutions could run out of reserves in three months even with substantial layoffs. “It’s not enough,” she said. “The fact that the PM advised people not to go to theatres and cinemas but didn’t make it mandatory is catastrophic for lots of our businesses because that means they can’t claim on their insurance.

“Some of our businesses don’t have the resources to provide the necessary cash flow over the next two or three months, which will be required as a result of the Covid-19 outbreak. Once they’re gone, they’re gone. We need the government to come up with something which really recognises the crisis.”

Norbury is now calling on the government to create a “crisis fund” to support those organisations that are going to be temporarily affected by the loss of box office revenue; and for the existing measures to be more expansive to help support freelancers.

Tamara Rojo, the dancer and artistic director of English National Ballet, said that the government’s advice not to visit venues “wasn’t actually a ban so we cannot go to the insurance and claim compensation”. Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on Tuesday, she called for clarity and investment and drew attention to the financial impact on “the freelancers who are a huge part of our economy”. The creative industries employ two million people, she said, and a third of those are freelancers. ENB had recently seen its lowest box-office takings since 2011, she added, and its box office was down more than 40%. Rojo said other European countries, such as Denmark, had been more proactive in supporting the creative industries.

Germany’s culture minister, Monika Grütters, has already promised a fund of billions of euros of financial help for artists and cultural venues who are facing uncertainty.

On Twitter, the film and theatre director Josie Rourke supported Rojo’s assessment of “the impact on freelancers of yesterday’s briefing”, and added: “Hazy leadership will not help us stay strong.” The MP David Lammy tweeted that arts venues – as well as pubs and restaurants – “will only get insurance payouts if they are formally closed. This must happen. Otherwise the government is setting them up to shut their doors forever.” However, even if organisations have insurance, it may well not cover the full impact of coronavirus.

The UK’s national galleries and museums such as the British Museum are mostly remaining open but that is changing fast. On Tuesday morning Tate announced it was closing all its sites until 1 May. Tate’s director, Maria Balshaw, sent an email to members confirming the closures saying, “The welfare of our members, visitors and staff must always come first,” with the decision affecting Tate Modern, Tate Britain, Tate Liverpool and Tate St Ives from Tuesday evening. Most smaller ones, from the Baltic in Gateshead to the South London Gallery, are already closed.

Many of the UK’s cinemas have closed as Odeon, Cineworld and Picturehouse, as well as BFI Southbank, all announced they would shut. On Monday afternoon, several major institutions including the Barbican, the Royal Albert Hall and the National History Museum said they would close and requested donations from patrons to help ease the financial burden.

Darren Henley, chief executive of Arts Council England, which is introducing measures to assist cultural workers and artists, said the situation is “really troubling” for theatres across the country and that ACE is working hard to gauge the scale of the issue. Henley added that the Covid-19 outbreak and social distancing recommendations are “one of many acute financial threats now faced by our theatres and other venues”.

Oliver Dowden, the secretary of state for digital, culture, media and sport – who is in self-isolation after a family member presented symptoms – said the government is working closely with Arts Council England “to ensure the arts sector stays strong” and that the government will be “setting out further support”.

Sharon Heal, director of the Museums Association, called for an emergency fund to be created. She said: “The government has earmarked £120m for a ‘festival of Britain’ in 2022. We believe this should now be made available to support museums at risk of permanent closure as a result of the coronavirus epidemic.”

Paul Reed, the chief executive of the Association of Independent Festivals , said that “the health and safety of the public is a top priority. It is therefore important that the latest medical advice around social gatherings is heeded.” But he added: “AIF echoes wider industry calls for urgent clarity from government on whether there will be a formal ban on events, when that might come into effect and which events will be impacted. The prime minister’s announcement amounts to a ban on live events and while we understand the measures taken, we also urge the government to classify it as such. The lack of such clarification creates widespread confusion and greatly harms promoters’ efforts to weather this unprecedented storm.”