Broadway League Extends Mask and Vaccine Requirements Through February 28 — Page 2

BroadwayRox3588 said: "I'm confused. Are you looking to eliminate breakthroughs and Delta altogether? Because Delta isn't going anywhere (with an R0 of up to 8-9). And, ideally, we want to get so many people vaccinated, that the majority of infectionsarebreakthrough infections. That's what happened in Provincetown, and it was hailed as an immunological success, by epidemiologists (despite what the glorious fear mongering media will have you believe).

I'm not being rhetorical or snarky, I'm genuinely asking. Because I've always found your past commentary on Covid to be logical and realistic."

I am not looking to eradicate Covid before relaxing mask rules. (I actually said I thought we were looking at Feb.) I could have been clearer, at a minimum saying "so long as we have significant breakthrough infections and Delta." For Broadway, the problem is that a sector of tourists coming to the city have too much exposure to infections because they are from places with low vax rates. We have the added issue of lower vax rates among children, with the 5-11 subset just at the threshold of getting vaxxed. Feb seems right to me, barring any change of course. And to that point, any and all announcements can be easily changed if the data warrants but from the League's standpoint I think they believe that the data supports the restrictions as a positive. Finally, it will be very surprising if we do not have a surge of cases over the holidays. The Feb date should ride that wave.

Jordan Catalano said: "That’s a good point about possibility of an uptick in cases over the holidays. Following what’s happening in the UK, a lot of people are saying it’s very possible we’re next for that."

Still Delta or new variant? I heard a local news channel mention the uptick in passing while reporting on PA’s K-12 mask mandate lifting in January.

Of course there's going to be an uptick over the holidays. It would defy epidemiology, for there not to be.

Not enough people vaccinated, holiday gatherings, people congregating indoors more. All are a formula for an uptick in cases. But more immunity means less hospitalizations and deaths. Those metrics are the ones to watch over the winter. The more immunity there is, the less case counts matter.

The only way to prevent an uptick in cases would be to completely lock down again, which would be dumber than anything Trump ever did (which is saying a lot). Vaccinated people need to stop being terrified of this virus, and stop panicking every time there's the slightest uptick in cases.

Jordan Catalano said: "Yes, but….let’s be fair to people. We’ve been through (are still in) the most sustained Pandemic health crisis like this that any of us have ever lived through. History tells us that it defines generations of people who come after it. So saying “you just have to learn to live with it and being scared of it” is easier said than done for most people."

That's fair. But I still wish the media would stop treating it like the bubonic plague. That certainly isn't helping people be less scared of it.

I've only been to the Times Square area and have also walked between Penn Station and Times Square and I've seen a fair share of people wearing masks outdoors. It seemed to be a mixture of locals and tourists.

Has anyone heard anything about whether the Excelsior pass will still be accepted as proof of vaccination at theaters after the expiration date on the pass? My Excelsior pass says it expires on February 26, 2022, which will be the one-year anniversary of when I got the second vaccine dose. I got a booster shot last month, but I don’t see any way to extend the expiration date on the Excelsior pass by adding the booster.

I know the new policy is only in effect until February 28, so I’m not too worried about the fact that my Excelsior pass expires two days before that, but I’m wondering what will happen if the policy is extended into the spring. I guess I could just show a photo of my paper vaccination card (which includes an entry showing I got the booster in October), but I have gotten so used to showing the Excelsior pass, I would like to be able to continue doing that if it will still be accepted.

Jordan Catalano said: "I actually called the Excelsior Pass people and was told there’s no way to add booster shots to it, which is really confusing. So come next February or March, I think we might just be needing to carry those CDC cards with us."

I think that's because the Excelsior Pass is for proof of full vaccination - which is 2 shots (or 1 J&J shot) at the moment. If that changes to 3 (or 2 for J&J folks) then the app will need to be updated. I wouldn't worry about the expiration date in the app for the time being.

I agree that it’s best to play it safe with large public events like plays until the spring. After that, I’m done. Come March my attitude will be get vaccinated, and get your kids vaccinated. If you don’t, that’s on you. I’m not going to spend another two years wearing a facemask because of this ridiculous fear of vaccines. The vaccine works. Even with the Delta variant, it is very unlikely for someone who is vaccinated to get seriously ill. I’m kind of done making up for other people’s idiocy and worrying about an illness that at this point is almost entirely preventable for people ages 5 and up.