NEWS: Broadway Will Require Audiences to Wear Masks and Show Proof of Vaccination

UPDATE: The Broadway League has announced that the mask and vaccination requirement will be extended through February 28th, 2022.

We’ve seen many changes recently in light of COVID-19 and the delta variant.

After the CDC’s new recommendation, Disney World adopted a new mask policy mandating masks to be worn indoors, and now Broadway has announced a new mask and vaccination policy days before their first performance in more than 16 months.

According to the The New York Times, Broadway require all audience members to wear masks and provide proof of receiving the COVID-19 vaccination. Other theaters such as Carnegie Hall and the Metropolitan Opera will bar children under 12 from attending performances, but Broadway will allow children to provide a negative COVID test prior to attending. This new policy will last until at least October and will apply to all 41 Broadway theaters.

Broadway will allow exceptions for people who are unable to be vaccinated for medical or religious reasons, and audience members will be required to wear masks at all times except when eating or drinking. Broadway employees will be tested for COVID-19 weekly, and the president of the Broadway League, Charlotte St. Martin, said, “We have said from Day 1 that we want our casts, our crews and our audiences to be safe, and we believe that this is a precaution to ensure that.”

Broadway plans to open at full capacity with no social distancing. Anyone who has purchased tickets and cannot or will not comply with the new policy can seek a refund or exchange, and the Broadway League plans to reassess these new policies in November.

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