Broadway will be "mask-optional" starting July 1, 2022- Page 3

[Alexander Lamar]

Posted: 6/21/22 at 4:15pm

It’s gross the number of people I have seen leaving restrooms on Broadway last season without washing their hands, and that’s something masks can’t help with. People are just nasty I guess. I only had one ticket for this season (ITW) and I gave that away on here last week, but there’s definitely a few fall shows I really want to see so I’ll have to see how things go. 

[Mr. Wormwood]

Posted: 6/21/22 at 4:16pm

pagereynolds said: "Jordan Catalano said: "I remember when they announced no more vaccine check and people also swore they weren’t going to the theater again."

Half a dozen shows have closed since then. Chicago was down 20% two weeks ago (last week's numbers aren't up yet). POTUS, a show with huge stars, is running under 50%. Many shows are doing well, but plenty are not."

That had everything to do with Pamela Anderson leaving the show and nothing to do with a vaccine check. And POTUS would not have been able to come close to filling a theater as big as the Shubert even in normal times. Come on.

I'm happy to see this development. It's time. Continue to wear a mask if you'd like. I might have one on hand with me but don't plan to wear it.

[musikman]

Posted: 6/21/22 at 4:18pm

pagereynolds said: "Phantom4ever said: "I did 7 Broadway shows in 4 days last week and number of people who coughed and sneezed their way through shows will have me definitely continuing with the mask.

But it really was just on the streets of New York in general where I really felt I needed a mask. I can't even say the the amount of times that people walking on the sidewalk turned behind them to cough or sneeze which put their droplets right in my face! And they would always look at me like I was the annoying one for getting in the way of their cough or sneeze."

You might not want to stand so close to people."

Have you ever been to Times Square ? It’s often wall to wall people 

[Phantom4ever]

Posted: 6/21/22 at 4:22pm

Lol yes in Times Square is where the in-your-face sneezing and coughing happens, along with an intersection along 8th Avenue especially after shows get out. Anyway. It's always the last thing I expect is for someone to just turn around and COUGH like I'm not even there. 

[peterparker1]

Posted: 6/21/22 at 4:25pm

Phantom4ever said: "Lol yes in Times Square is where the in-your-face sneezing and coughing happens, along with an intersection along 8th Avenue especially after shows get out. Anyway. It's always the last thing I expect is for someone to just turn around and COUGH like I'm not even there."

Time Square is gross even without Covid. 

[Mark_E]

Posted: 6/21/22 at 4:44pm

Well, it's about time.
West End we have been "mask optional" for about 5 months now (and I'd guess its 5% or less wearing them).
No more foggy glasses on Broadway!

[GilmoreGirlO2]

Posted: 6/21/22 at 5:18pm

Definitely not a fan of this move at this point. If wearing masks only protected the person wearing them, then I would be for this – everyone could determine if they wanted to take this risk without effecting anyone else. However, wearing masks greatly protects those around you as well – therefore, someone’s decision to not wear a mask puts those around them at a higher risk.

My father recently came to NY for a trip and saw a bunch of shows. As an older man who is also immunocompromised, he is fully vaccinated and wears his mask, but he’s at a much higher risk of having a negative COVID experience that is more than just a “common cold” at this point. I know he won’t feel comfortable attending a Broadway show now with masks being optional.

I have tickets to “Into the Woods” in July, but I think I’ll likely be taking a hiatus from buying any more tickets in the near future.

[yyys]

Posted: 6/21/22 at 5:22pm

It's about time....concerts have been mask optional for at least a couple months....Broadway sure took its time.

[BCfitasafiddle]

Posted: 6/21/22 at 5:27pm

So interesting seeing Broadway actors react to this news on social media. Some thrilled, some annoyed. This is polarizing to all. 

[Dollypop]

Posted: 6/21/22 at 5:27pm

Phantom4ever said: "I did 7 Broadway shows in 4 days last week and number of people who coughed and sneezed their way through shows will have me definitely continuing with the mask.

But it really was just on the streets of New York in general where I really felt I needed a mask. I can't even say the the amount of times that people walking on the sidewalk turned behind them to cough or sneeze which put their droplets right in my face! And they would always look at me like I was the annoying one for getting in the way of their cough or sneeze."

 

 

When I was growing up in the 50's, it was fashionable for women to wear veils over their faces. Perhaps the time has come to revive the style.

[VintageSnarker]

Posted: 6/21/22 at 5:35pm

Hairspray0901 said: "Well… guess my last show will be July 1. (Unfortunately just missing the date with my Into the Woods ticket).
This was a stupid and irresponsible decision."

Into the Woods is also going to be my last show this season after I'd decided not to see anything else on Broadway. I wish I knew what was going to happen in the fall/winter as I consider subscription packages. As of now, the Metropolitan Opera still has their mandatory vaccination/mask policy up.

I think the problem is people can still get covid if they're fully vaccinated. With the flexible cancellation policies gone, people are definitely going to show up sick the way they did when they had "normal" colds. 

Updated On: 6/21/22 at 05:35 PM

[VintageSnarker]

Posted: 6/21/22 at 5:49pm

Jordan Catalano said: "I remember when they announced no more vaccine check and people also swore they weren’t going to the theater again."

After the last announcement, I went to How I Learned to Drive (where they were still checking vaccination status) and off-Broadway shows (where they were still checking vaccination status) so some of us have been consistent.

[WestEndGal]

Posted: 6/21/22 at 6:13pm

I think this is a good thing personally. I of course have sympathy for immunocompromised people who need to be more cautious, but we’re at the stage now where the latest Omicron strains are no more dangerous than the flu (and we’ve never had mask requirements each flu season), in part because of the weaker strains themselves, but also because of the built up immunity in people who are either vaccinated, have had Covid, or both. And treatments are now much more sophisticated and better for people who are unfortunate to get really sick. It feels like some people are still treating Covid as if it’s early 2020, and so much has changed since then, for the better. Mask mandates now feel more performative than actually effective imo, and at a time when broadway is trying to get back on its feet and welcome tourists back to shows, it would be counter productive to continue with mask requirements indefinitely. 
 

It’s also a case of if not now, when? Covid is not going away, and it’s something we’re all going to be living with for the foreseeable, but at least now it is a disease that the overwhelming majority of people can thankfully live with.

[pagereynolds]

Posted: 6/21/22 at 6:16pm

WestEndGal said: "I think this is a good thing personally. I of course have sympathy for immunocompromised people who need to be more cautious, but we’re at the stage now where the latest Omicron strains are no more dangerous than the flu (and we’ve never had mask requirements each flu season), in part because of the weaker strains themselves, but also because of the built up immunity in people who are either vaccinated, have had Covid, or both. And treatments are now much more sophisticated and better for people who are unfortunate to get really sick. It feels like some people are still treating Covid as if it’s early 2020, and so much has changed since then, for the better. Mask mandates now feel more performative than actually effective imo, and at a time when broadway is trying to get back on its feet and welcome tourists back to shows, it would be counter productive to continue with mask requirements indefinitely.


It’s also a case of if not now, when? Covid is not going away, and it’s something we’re all going to be living with for the foreseeable, but at least now it is a disease that the overwhelming majority of people can thankfully live with."

I'm not saying that people shouldn't make their own decision, but as of April, 30% of people with Omicron have developed long COVID, which is much, much worse than the flu. 

[WestEndGal]

Posted: 6/21/22 at 6:22pm

pagereynolds said: "Worth nothing that EVERY single response to the Broadway League's tweet is negative."

I mean, with respect, Twitter users who follow Broadway League is hardly representative of the general theater going population! 

[TaffyDavenport]

Posted: 6/21/22 at 6:25pm

pagereynolds said:

"I'm not saying that people shouldn't make their own decision, but as of April, 30% of people with Omicron have developed long COVID, which is much, much worse than the flu."

The long COVID statistics say 30% of those hospitalized, and researchers have found that the odds of developing long COVID are 20-50% less with Omicron than with Delta. Caution is important, but facts do matter.

[pagereynolds]

Posted: 6/21/22 at 6:28pm

TaffyDavenport said: "pagereynolds said:

"I'm not saying that people shouldn't make their own decision, but as of April, 30% of people with Omicron have developed long COVID, which is much, much worse than the flu."

The long COVID statistics say 30% of those hospitalized, and researchers have found that the odds of developing long COVID are 20-50% less with Omicron than with Delta. Caution is important, but facts do matter."

LA Times: About 30% of COVID-19 patients developed the condition known as long COVID, UCLA researchers said in a study published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine. The UCLA researchers studied 1,038 people enrolled in the UCLA COVID Ambulatory Program between April 2020 and February 2021.

But anyway, 50% is a much better number for the point, I guess.

[Tom5]

Posted: 6/21/22 at 6:39pm

I concur. Long covid might be 'rest of your life' covid'. So wear n95 or kn95 mask both of which afford superb protection. 

[WestEndGal]

Posted: 6/21/22 at 6:59pm

pagereynolds said: "WestEndGal said: "I think this is a good thing personally. I of course have sympathy for immunocompromised people who need to be more cautious, but we’re at the stage now where the latest Omicron strains are no more dangerous than the flu (and we’ve never had mask requirements each flu season), in part because of the weaker strains themselves, but also because of the built up immunity in people who are either vaccinated, have had Covid, or both. And treatments are now much more sophisticated and better for people who are unfortunate to get really sick. It feels like some people are still treating Covid as if it’s early 2020, and so much has changed since then, for the better. Mask mandates now feel more performative than actually effective imo, and at a time when broadway is trying to get back on its feet and welcome tourists back to shows, it would be counter productive to continue with mask requirements indefinitely.


It’s also a case of if not now, when? Covid is not going away, and it’s something we’re all going to be living with for the foreseeable, but at least now it is a disease that the overwhelming majority of people can thankfully live with."

I'm not saying that people shouldn't make their own decision, but as of April, 30% of people with Omicron have developed long COVID, which is much, much worse than the flu."

Sure, but “long flu” is a real thing too. It’s just not had the attention that “long Covid” has. Of course people will have different opinions on this, but it seems to me that Broadway is one of the last holdouts for audience mask mandates and at this stage it no longer seems like a proportionate response.

[gracie61]

Posted: 6/21/22 at 7:03pm

Our shows are June 29th and July 1.  Not feeling great about maskless, but unfortunately here in Texas, it's been mask optional for awhile now.  For the touring shows I've seen, I have worn my N 95 mask.  I probably see about 20% of people wearing them.  I have another vacation planned in August, and don't want to up my risk, plus some vulnerable family members, so I still mask in indoor spaces, and avoid indoor dining during crowded times.

One thing the previous vaccine/mask mandate did do for me.  It was the tipping point for my  daughter to get my granddaughter vaccinated so she could come with us.  

I think they should have done a bigger lead time, if it was for the tourist reasons, most people plan far in advance for that type of thing; plane tickets/hotels etc.  If the mask thing was holding people back, they probably already made other plans

[TaffyDavenport]

Posted: 6/21/22 at 8:39pm

pagereynolds said: "TaffyDavenport said: "pagereynolds said:

"I'm not saying that people shouldn't make their own decision, but as of April, 30% of people with Omicron have developed long COVID, which is much, much worse than the flu."

The long COVID statistics say 30% of those hospitalized, and researchers have found that the odds of developing long COVID are 20-50% less with Omicron than with Delta. Caution is important, but facts do matter."

LA Times:About30%of COVID-19 patients developed the condition known as long COVID, UCLA researchers said in a study published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine. The UCLA researchers studied 1,038 people enrolled in the UCLA COVID Ambulatory Program between April 2020 and February 2021.

But anyway, 50% is a much better number for the point, I guess."

You said "30% of people with Omicron have developed long COVID," but the LA Times data you quoted is from April 2020- February 2021, when omicron didn't even exist. Current CDC statistics show 30% at 6 months among those hospitalized, and a recently published UK study reports that omicron is less likely to cause long COVID in general, 4.4% chance vs. 10.8% for delta.

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/long-term-effects/index.html

https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2022/06/16/1094655028/omicron-long-covid-risk

 

 

Updated On: 6/21/22 at 08:39 PM

[Robbie2]

Posted: 6/21/22 at 8:49pm

I'm hearing masks will also be optional on public transportation in NYC starting next month - July at some point - date tbd.

[pagereynolds]

Posted: 6/21/22 at 8:51pm

Robbie2 said: "I'm hearing masks will also be optional on public transportation in NYC starting next month - July at some point - date tbd."

It's basically non-existent now. The only people masking are people who want to.

[GiantsInTheSky2]

Posted: 6/21/22 at 10:23pm

pagereynolds said: "Robbie2 said: "I'm hearing masks will also be optional on public transportation in NYC starting next month - July at some point - date tbd."

It's basically non-existent now. The only people masking are people who want to."

As someone who has continued to wear masks on transportation, in stores, etc. - it is a bit laughable when I get in the train in the morning and I’m the only one in the entire packed train car with a mask on. 

 

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 6/21/22 at 10:28pm

I mean, with respect, Twitter users who follow Broadway League is hardly representative of the general theater going population!

Imagine thinking kids on Twitter matter in terms of ticket sales. LOLZ.