Dr. Anthony Fauci Comments On A Return To Theaters & More

In an Instagram Live interview with actress Jennifer Garner, Dr. Anthony Fauci weighed in on the long-term effects of the coronavirus pandemic on the live events industry.

She asked Fauci, "When are we going to be able to sit in a theater and watch our favorite performers up on stage again?"

Fauci pointed to several factors precluding gatherings in theatrical spaces, namely vaccine roll-out and availability; factors Fauci says could prevent audiences from enjoying a reliably safe return to theaters for at least another year.

"I think it's gonna be a combination of a vaccine that has been around for almost a year and good public health measures," Fauci told Garner.

Fauci said that even if a vaccine were made available by the end of 2020, it would take nearly a year for the majority of the population to become vaccinated, creating conditions under which large indoor gatherings would pose minimal risk to audiences and staff.

Fauci has previously gone on the record saying that a vaccine is unlikely to be available by the fall.

Vaccine efficacy is another factor Fauci is taking into consideration when it comes to the fate of theaters.

He said, "If we have a vaccine that's a knockout vaccine - that's 85% - 90% effective. I don't think we'll get that, I'll settle for 70% effective. If we get a really good vaccine and just about everybody gets vaccinated, you'll have a degree of immunity in the general community that I think you can walk into a theatre without a mask and feel like it's comfortable that you aren't going to be at risk."

See their full conversation here: