Broadway Vaccination/Mask Requirements Extended through January 2, 2022

[BroadwayGuy12]

Posted: 9/24/21 at 9:35pm

I was just looking on Telecharge and saw that the current policies re: proof of vaccination and masking in the theaters have been extended through January 2, 2022. A completely unsurprising development, to be sure, but still one worth noting.

https://www.telecharge.com/siteinfo.aspx?siteinfotype=helpfaq

[Alex Kulak2]

Posted: 9/24/21 at 9:44pm

When do you think the requirements are going to be relaxed? Do you think there's some threshold of case rates or vaccinated population where they'll drop the mandates?

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 9/24/21 at 9:54pm

YES - keep it going!

[HogansHero]

Posted: 9/24/21 at 10:11pm

Alex Kulak2 said: "When do you think the requirements are going to be relaxed? Do you think there's some threshold of case rates or vaccinated population where they'll drop the mandates?"

The decision is of course the city's not the theatres to make in the first instance and it applies to far more than theatres. I cannot imagine eliminating the vax mandate at any time until the rates nationally catch up with ours. I can envision some relaxation of the mask mandate next spring assuming there is no bad news and things continue along the present lines. Obviously some people will continue wearing masks after that. I also think, from the theatre perspective, especially on Broadway, there is a fear that some people who have crept back in will turn around if the unwashed are allowed anywhere near them. 

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 9/24/21 at 10:15pm

Alex Kulak2 said: "When do you think the requirements are going to be relaxed? Do you think there's some threshold of case rates or vaccinated population where they'll drop the mandates?"

When? Maybe next Spring? We are still very much in a pandemic. Vax rates have sloweeeeed way down since July so I don't see it changing unless more people get vaccinated. And considering they are protesting, assaulting people, and committing crimes because of it, I doubt they will ever be convinced to get it. It's disturbing. 

 

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 9/24/21 at 10:19pm

Worth noting tonight at “Is This a Room”, people were posted in front of the orchestra and mezz (not sure about balcony) holding signs saying you had to keep your mask up, and they were standing there holding that sign from when the house opened to when the lights went down. All theatres in the West End have someone doing that and I’ve been surprised so far I haven’t seen one Broadway house until tonight doing it.

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 9/24/21 at 10:23pm

That's great, but I can't really believe they are allowing people to eat/drink at their seats right now because that is their excuse to keep their mask off the entire show. It's very, very frustrating for people trying to be safe. 

[MattieIce2018]

Posted: 9/24/21 at 10:27pm

Jordan Catalano said: "Worth noting tonight at “Is This a Room”, people were posted in front of the orchestra and mezz (not sure about balcony) holding signs saying you had to keep your mask up, and they were standing there holding that sign from when the house opened to when the lights went down. All theatres in the West End have someone doing that and I’ve been surprised so far I haven’t seen one Broadway house until tonight doing it."

They were doing this in the orchestra at the Walter Kerr last week too.

[msmp]

Posted: 9/24/21 at 11:23pm

Sutton Ross said: "That's great, but I can't really believe they are allowing people to eat/drink at their seats right now because that is their excuse to keep their mask off the entire show. It's very, very frustrating for people trying to be safe."

This is the biggest reason we've put off our return to taking regular New York trips. I tend to go with my elderly mother who has a lot of health complications, and even fully vaccinated, I'm nervous about exposing her.

Hopefully in the Spring when cold/flu season tapers off we'll see things starting to relax more. Hopefully...

[everythingtaboo]

Posted: 9/25/21 at 10:53am

I don't mind keeping masks going, as long as the theatres account for this is temperature settings. 

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 9/25/21 at 10:57am

everythingtaboo said: "I don't mind keeping masks going, as long as the theatres account for this is temperature settings."

THAT PART. It seems none of the 7 theaters I’ve been in this past week have taken that into account. 

[HogansHero]

Posted: 9/25/21 at 12:14pm

are you saying they were too warm? I only ask because I went back to see Pass Over again last week and it was freezing inside. I was glad I had a "winter" mask in my bag.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 9/25/21 at 12:25pm

Yeah they were all too warm. It seemed like they didn't turn the AC on until they opened the house so it took a good hour or hour and a half to cool down. But (And I really don't mean this to sound shady) it's possible that with a theater like "Pass Over" that I'm assuming didn't have many people in it, it was easier to cool down.

[C4b2a3b]

Posted: 9/25/21 at 12:36pm

Have not made it back to a show yet. Is eating/drinking at seats venue specific? Are all theatres allowing eating/drinking at seats?

I thought I read something on Roundabout that eating was restricted to a certain areas.

Updated On: 9/25/21 at 12:36 PM

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 9/25/21 at 12:54pm

Someone in a post prior asked when the masks will come off.

How about never.I am not being facetious but realistic .Another thought is not in the foreseeable future

Thoughts

Updated On: 9/25/21 at 12:54 PM

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 9/25/21 at 1:43pm

K.

[HogansHero]

Posted: 9/25/21 at 1:53pm

Jordan Catalano said: "But (AndI really don't mean this to sound shady) it's possible that with a theater like "Pass Over" that I'm assuming didn't have many people in it, it was easier to cool down."

Actually (and much to my surprise) the orchestra was pretty full, the mezz not so much. Now that does not mean that they are getting much revenue from that pretty full orchestra but that's another matter.

 

[songanddanceman2]

Posted: 9/25/21 at 1:59pm

Well done America, you have screwed a lot up when it comes to Covid (or the people who have made it political have) but your vaccine and mask policies on Broadway are gold standard. Unlike here in the UK where we have just flung the doors open, no masks and no vaccination required.

[HogansHero]

Posted: 9/25/21 at 2:11pm

songanddanceman2 said: "Well done America, you have screwed a lot up when it comes to Covid (or the people who have made it political have) but your vaccine and mask policies on Broadway are gold standard. Unlike here in the UK where we have just flung the doors open, no masks and no vaccination required."

To be fair, it's not America; it's NYC. Over 90% of people in theatre-going neighborhoods are fully vaccinated; close to 100% in a lot of them. We are happy living our lives insulated from idiots who are not. As I said above, while I think masks will become an individual choice in vax-only places after winter, I think we will be excluding the idiots from our midst for quite a while. As a side note, pre-reopening there were those fretting about how unworkable checking for vaccines would be; as the rest of us said, it has not been a problem at all.

[BCfitasafiddle]

Posted: 9/25/21 at 2:26pm

Good.

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 9/25/21 at 2:27pm

C4b2a3b said: "Have not made it back to a show yet. Is eating/drinking at seats venue specific? Are all theatres allowing eating/drinking at seats?

I thought I read something on Roundabout that eating was restricted to a certain areas."

I thought there was designated areas too until I read a lot of reviews from people from other shows that people were doing this at their seats which is maddening. I hope Caroline or Change has none of that. Unless it's a medical thing, no one NEEDS twizzlers and a wine slushie at their goddamn seats. 

 

[SmoothLover]

Posted: 9/25/21 at 5:08pm

Seems after the show starts it would be hard to do much staff  moderating with masking and eating without causing major distractions.

Let’s just hope the theaters are able to stay open through the Winter without major outbreaks or shutdowns.

[HogansHero]

Posted: 9/25/21 at 5:35pm

In the absence of something new or different, and with the current protocols (including some mask cheating), a major outbreak is highly unlikely and so is a modest outbreak to the level that there would be discussion of a shutdown. The key to everything is keeping the idiots at bay, and we have systems in place to maintain that. Masks are a 2nd layer of protection and, as I have suggested, likely will be relaxed in the spring (again in the absence of some new and bad development).

[SmoothLover]

Posted: 9/26/21 at 1:13am

Seems the thread on air conditioning has vanished. Who would have thought it was so controversial.

[ghostlight2]

Posted: 9/26/21 at 1:38am

It's still there