Topline
Broadway audiences will not be required to wear masks in July for the first time since theaters reopened last fall, the Broadway League announced Tuesday, lifting one of the last remaining widespread mask mandates as Covid-19 restrictions have largely disappeared nationwide.
Audience members during “Chicago” at Broadway’s Ambassador Theatre on September 14, 2021 in New York … [+]
Key Facts
Broadway theaters will adopt a “mask-optional” policy in July in which audiences are encouraged, but not required, to wear face coverings.
Whether or not masks will be required in the future will be “evaluated on a monthly basis,” the Broadway League said, and the organization will announce in mid-July whether or not they’ll be required in August.
Broadway dropped its proof of Covid-19 vaccination requirement for audiences May 1, and the Hollywood Reporter reports many theaters have already let go of workers tasked with enforcing Covid-19 protocols.
The Broadway League kept its mask mandate in effect even as it dropped the proof-of-vaccination requirement, extending the order most recently in mid-May.
New York City does not have a citywide mask mandate in place; with Broadway’s mask requirement lifted, the only places in the city where face coverings are still broadly required are public transportation and healthcare settings.
Big Number
2,863. That’s the seven-day average of new Covid-19 cases in New York City as of Tuesday, according to the city’s health department, as compared with 3,270 on average over the past 28 days. Covid-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths in New York City have all been declining in recent weeks, after increasing in April and May.
Key Background
Dropping its mask mandate is a significant move for Broadway, which has taken a stringent approach to Covid-19 throughout the pandemic. Theaters remained shuttered for more than a year until late summer and early fall 2021 due to concerns about Covid-19 transmission, and they reopened with strict protocols in place like mask mandates and proof-of-vaccination requirements. Broadway’s mask mandate has remained in place even as other widespread mask orders have been lifted, as public officials have erased restrictions and encouraged constituents to “learn to live with” Covid-19 even when cases go up. Every state has now lifted their mask mandates, and mask orders have also been lifted for air travel and most public transportation (outside of some limited exceptions like in New York City). Philadelphia became the first city to reimpose its mask mandate as cases rose there in April, but the city got rid of the requirement just a few days later amid a public outcry against it.
Tangent
Broadway shows have felt the effects of Covid-19 surges in New York City despite having strict protocols in place, with numerous productions having to cancel performances or call in understudies as company members contracted the coronavirus. Shows are still continuing to feel the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic even as restrictions are being lifted: Hugh Jackman has been sidelined from The Music Man on Broadway until Wednesday after testing positive for the coronavirus on June 13.
Further Reading
Broadway Extends Mask Mandate As NYC Covid Cases Rise (Forbes)
Broadway Shows Canceling Performances — Again — As NYC Covid Cases Rise (Forbes)
As Broadway Drops Audience Vaccine Mandate, Job Cuts Hit COVID-19 Safety Workers (Hollywood Reporter)
‘Who Do You Think You Are?’ Patti LuPone Publicly Rips Broadway Patron Over Mask Policy (NBC New York)
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