Santa Fe Opera Adds COVID-19 Compliance and Safety Manager to its Staff

The Santa Fe Opera has added a COVID-19 compliance and safety manager to its staff, according to Santa Fe New Mexican.

Mike VanAartsen officially took on that role in January, setting the opera's guidelines for masks, social distancing, hand sanitizing and all the other safety protocols.

The season is currently set to open on July 10, and patrons will have to wear masks at all times on the opera campus, including throughout the performances. Additionally, one hundred hand sanitizer stations are on order.

For the first time, the Santa Fe Opera will not sell paper tickets. Ticketing has been digitized and patrons will present their smartphones to gain entry or print out tickets at home.

"I would say the real focus last summer was really putting opera back on stage," General Director Robert K. Meya said. "Now we are actually figuring out ways to get singers on stage, how to rehearse. We have to figure out how to keep them safe."

"We had a need for a specific person whose sole focus was developing plans and protocols for reopening the theater, someone who can reach across the departments," Meya said. "All of that has been more challenging because [of remote working by many opera employees]. Mike's appointment is part of the Santa Fe Opera's evolving strategy for protecting the health of our audiences and all who visit and work at the Santa Fe Opera."

Audience capacity for the opera season will be 25%, with only 30 people are working on the opera property.

"It's more about being here to support, getting things to the appropriate parties. Everybody has rules already," VanAartsen said. "We want to go above and beyond the recommendations we're seeing. How do we do that?"

Read more on Santa Fe New Mexican.