Broadway Will Mandate Vaccines for NYC Audience, Performers
Broadway Will Mandate Vaccines for NYC Audience, Performers
(Bloomberg) -- Broadway theaters in New York City will require vaccinations for audience members, performers and other staff who will also need to wear masks indoors.
The Broadway League said on Friday that owners and operators of all 41 Broadway theaters decided to require guests to show proof of vaccination when they enter the venues.
The move comes as the delta variant rips through the city and cases increase again -- just as Broadway shows reopen after 16 months of dark theaters. Vaccines were already required to attend Bruce Springsteen’s Broadway tour, which began in June. There are no city or statewide vaccine mandates, although public workers will soon be required to get the vaccine or submit to weekly testing.
Theater owners said the vaccine mandate will impact all Broadway performances through October 2021 and that the league will review guidance in September for performances throughout the rest of the year. It said it may relax certain provisions later “if the science dictates,” in a statement on Friday. The league defined “fully vaccinated” as at least 14 days after the second dose of a two-dose Covid-19 vaccine or after a single-dose shot.
“As vaccination has proven the most effective way to stay healthy and reduce transmission, I’m pleased that the theater owners have decided to implement these collective safeguards at all our Broadway houses,” said Broadway League President Charlotte St. Martin. “A uniform policy across all New York City Broadway theaters makes it simple for our audiences and should give even more confidence to our guests about how seriously Broadway is taking audience safety.”
The group will make an exception for children under 12 and people with medical conditions or religious beliefs that prevent vaccination, who will be required to provide proof of a negative Covid-19 PCR test within 72 hours of the performance start time, or a negative COVID-19 antigen test taken within 6 hours of the performance start time.
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