Broadway Extends Mask, Vaccination Policy in NYC to April 30
Broadway Extends Mask, Vaccination Policy in NYC to April 30
(Bloomberg) -- New York City’s Broadway theater operators are extending mask and vaccination requirements through April 30, the Broadway League said on Monday.
The owners and operators of all 41 Broadway theaters said venues would also begin requiring proof of full vaccination for children ages 5 to 11 starting on Jan. 29, according to a Monday statement.
“Our theaters and world class shows are open for business,” said Charlotte St. Martin, President of The Broadway League. “We’re proud to continue setting the gold standard of Covid health protocols in all our Broadway theaters in New York.”
Broadway, which had just celebrated its reopening in September after going dark for 18 months, has been hit hard by the recent spike in Covid cases fueled by the omicron variant. Around a third of the city’s Covid tests came back positive over the last seven days, according to city data as of Jan. 6.
More than a dozen theaters have had to temporarily close their doors again due to cast members and other staffers testing positive for Covid, resulting in a drop in revenue that has prompted some shows to end their runs early. “Waitress” ended its run two weeks early and “Jagged Little Pill” shuttered for good.
The Broadway closures threaten to hurt the city’s tourism industry, which generates about a fifth of the city’s sales tax base and is an important contributor to the city’s economy.
©2022 Bloomberg L.P.