Met Opera Will Mandate Support Shots for Staff and Audiences


The Metropolitan Opera announced Wednesday that it will tighten security measures than those on Broadway or other venues, requiring all eligible adult staff and audience members to take Covid-enhancing shots to enter the opera house.

The Met is the first major performing arts organization in the city to announce a supporting shooting authorization that will apply to staff as well as audiences; The new rule will take effect on January 17. The policy was announced as a concern about increasing caseloads and increased spread of the Omicron variant: The average daily number of coronavirus cases in the city has more than doubled in the past two weeks..

“We think we need to set an example,” Peter Gelb, the Met’s chief executive, said in an interview. “Hopefully we can make an impact on other performing arts companies as well. I think it’s just a matter of time – everyone will do it.”

It’s not the first time that performing arts organizations are implementing virus containment measures that go beyond government mandates, eager to reassure audiences that they can visit theaters safely. When are Broadway theaters announced during the summer A few days before Mayor Bill de Blasio said that audiences would ask to be vaccinated and masked. New York City announces vaccination requirement for a variety of interiors, including performing arts venues.

As the Met reopened after losing more than a full season to the pandemic, getting into the opera house required a full inoculation of staff and patrons. But Gelb said it now “makes it clear” to him that stronger protections are needed.

“It is very important that spectators and employees feel safe when they enter the building” said. “In my view, there’s no doubt – it’s the right move.”

Since November, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, recommended booster shots — Six months after humans received a second Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, or two months after a single dose of Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

When the Met’s new rules go into effect on January 17, those eligible for supporting shots will need to ensure they enter the opera house. (There will be a short grace period: Persons will be allowed not to be upgraded if performance drops within two weeks of the date they become available for boosters. Persons not yet eligible for backup shots will be allowed in.) In the opera house, meals in the restricted areas allowed or Except for drinking, people will be required to wear face masks.

Met officials said they were reviewing their new policies with leaders of the various unions representing their workers before Wednesday’s announcement, describing the union’s response to the rules as “very positive”.

Len Egert, national executive director of the American Guild of Musical Artists, said union officials determined that “boosters are guaranteed” at the Met and then negotiated to make sure their members’ rights were protected.

Adam Krauthamer, chairman of Local 802 at the American Federation of Musicians, said his union “applauds the Met’s plan to make vaccine supplements mandatory” and described the move as a “necessary step forward in keeping the public safe and keeping NYC a beacon.” Live performance.”

It was not immediately clear whether other arts institutions would follow the Met in tightening its Covid rules. Gelb said he’s notified leaders of Carnegie Hall, the New York Philharmonic, and Lincoln Center that the Met will add a reinforcement shooting mandate soon.

The Met’s announcement that it would enact stricter Covid protocols came a day after the ballet performance. “Don Quixote” At the Opéra Bastille in Paris, it was canceled after officials said someone at the company had tested positive for the virus. Several Broadway shows have had to cancel their performances recently due to positive Covid tests between the cast and crew. And in the National Football League, 37 players tested positive on Monday, the highest single-day total since the start of the pandemic.

Gelb said she believes the Met was the first performing arts institution to implement a support mission, but noted: some colleges and universities seem to have already taken this step. He said he expects the Met’s staff and audience to support the new rule, and he suspects most of them had fired reinforcements if they were eligible. “I think if anything happens, it will be a relief,” he said.

The Met has given 59 performances of nine different operas in front of an audience of roughly 160,000 since it reopened in late September, The Met said in a news release.

It has not canceled any shows yet due to the virus.

“We need to make sure everyone is as safe as possible with so many people entering and leaving the building,” Gelb said. said. “Everyone in the company wants to feel safe and healthy.”



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