Broadway will be "mask-optional" starting July 1, 2022- Page 6

[pagereynolds]

Posted: 6/22/22 at 5:15pm

Mr. Wormwood said: "pagereynolds said: "OhHiii said: "Michael Kras said: "Hard disagree on Long COVID. This is an extremely complex post-infection issue that can manifest in literally hundreds of different symptoms, some of which result in loss of quality of life or even disability. It's not easy to diagnose, classify, or track, and because of that it's easy to ignore or dismiss.Sometimes, the effects of Long COVID don't show up for weeks or months after the acute infection.

The fact that mask requirements aren't still in place everywhere doesn't mean Long COVID isn't an issue; it means that our leaders have decided to act like it isn't one."

I'm not saying it doesn't exist as an issue. I'm saying that as an after effect that, by your own admission, doesn't have any sort of trend behind it, hundreds ofpossiblesymptoms, no distinct window for diagnosis, it is understandably not a factor in decision-making. We can't expect leaders to have a crystal ball, nor can we expect that every single solution is going to be palatable for every single person. Nor--as we've seen with the complete and utter chaos of the supply chain, economy, etc that's ALSO completely desecrated quality of life for MANY--can the whole of society remain in a lurch until everyone is 100% comfortable with being in public spaces without a mask. It's not how any aspect of life works. And it's wild that people think that stamping their feet at the slightest update to protocol is actually going to produce a different result.

You don't like that masks are optional in Broadway theaters? Don't go. It's simple.

"

A LOT of people aren't going to go. The equation for producers will be to find out just how many. For older, subscription audiences, I suspect the mask mandate will be back by September.

"

0% chance that happens. The genie is not getting put back in the bottle. It's done. I suspect we'll see more masks in Broadway theaters than some other crowded places, but it'll still be well under 50%"

Actually much closer to 100% chance of some theaters going back to masking, especially if there's a new variant in the fall and our numbers skyrocket like last December when half of the theaters were empty.

[Mr. Wormwood]

Posted: 6/22/22 at 5:20pm

pagereynolds said: "Mr. Wormwood said: "pagereynolds said: "OhHiii said: "Michael Kras said: "Hard disagree on Long COVID. This is an extremely complex post-infection issue that can manifest in literally hundreds of different symptoms, some of which result in loss of quality of life or even disability. It's not easy to diagnose, classify, or track, and because of that it's easy to ignore or dismiss.Sometimes, the effects of Long COVID don't show up for weeks or months after the acute infection.

The fact that mask requirements aren't still in place everywhere doesn't mean Long COVID isn't an issue; it means that our leaders have decided to act like it isn't one."

I'm not saying it doesn't exist as an issue. I'm saying that as an after effect that, by your own admission, doesn't have any sort of trend behind it, hundreds ofpossiblesymptoms, no distinct window for diagnosis, it is understandably not a factor in decision-making. We can't expect leaders to have a crystal ball, nor can we expect that every single solution is going to be palatable for every single person. Nor--as we've seen with the complete and utter chaos of the supply chain, economy, etc that's ALSO completely desecrated quality of life for MANY--can the whole of society remain in a lurch until everyone is 100% comfortable with being in public spaces without a mask. It's not how any aspect of life works. And it's wild that people think that stamping their feet at the slightest update to protocol is actually going to produce a different result.

You don't like that masks are optional in Broadway theaters? Don't go. It's simple.

"

A LOT of people aren't going to go. The equation for producers will be to find out just how many. For older, subscription audiences, I suspect the mask mandate will be back by September.

"

0% chance that happens. The genie is not getting put back in the bottle. It's done. I suspect we'll see more masks in Broadway theaters than some other crowded places, but it'll still be well under 50%"

Actually much closer to 100% chance of some theaters going back to masking, especially if there's a new variant in the fall and our numbers skyrocket like last December when half of the theaters were empty."

You are living in a fantasy world. I'm not saying there won't be a new variant or numbers going up, but it's not going to change mask policies unless something gets really, really dire. And that would be more than just an uptick in cases. Look at schools. We certainly have had spikes since NY and other northeast schools removed masks in March and no mask policies are coming back despite a lot of chirping.

[poisonivy2]

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

It's nuts how ppl go to the grocery store, ride on the subway, visit friends and family, get on a plane, go to work where large portions are unmasked, but somehow Broadway is the one place masking should be sacrosanct.

[everythingtaboo]

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

Highland Guy said: "OhHiii said: "With the lifting of mask requirements, I wouldn't be surprised if there's some improvement in getting tourists back into shows. The requirement has been abarrierfor many rather than an attraction. Again, because literallyevery otherfacet of daily life doesn't require a mask, but allows you to wear them if you feel more comfortable."

Not quite. Late at night this past weekend, I went to the Emergency Room for a mouse bite on my hand (happy to say, both the mouse and I survived). For the two hours I was in the waiting room before seeing a doctor, literallyeveryperson who came through the door was required to wear a mask. If they didn't have one, the door guard gave them one. If anyone removed their mask, they were told to put it back on. All medical staff members wore a mask. The cleaning crew wore a mask. The Police Officers who came in and out wore a mask.

I will place my faith in the medical community, not the Broadway community, and continue to wear my mask.

"

Wait, so we're not going to discuss getting bitten by a mouse?!

[ElephantLoveMedley]

Posted: 6/22/22 at 5:23pm

poisonivy2 said: "It's nuts how ppl go to the grocery store, ride on the subway, visit friends and family, get on a plane, go to work where large portions are unmasked, but somehow Broadway is the one place masking should be sacrosanct."

Thank you.

[UncleCharlie]

Posted: 6/22/22 at 6:02pm

poisonivy2 said: "It's nuts how ppl go to the grocery store, ride on the subway, visit friends and family, get on a plane, go to work where large portions are unmasked, but somehow Broadway is the one place masking should be sacrosanct.^"

^This.

In the SF Bay Area, sporting venues, many museums, supermarkets, transit and on and on have been eliminating their mandates over the past 3-4 months. There has been no huge spike in cases, hospitalizations, deaths etc., in fact I'm not really aware of any meaningful increase at all. And that speaks to me more than any one off piece of anecdotal data of what this or that venue is doing regarding masking.

Broadway has been behind the curve. It's been 2 years and 3 months. You can't expect people to stay masked indefinitely. It's just not sustainable. And yet those that wish to continue to wear a mask may do so. Despite predictions to the contrary, I believe the same effect on attendance that occurred when the vaccine mandate was dropped will also occur with this change. None.

[Hairspray0901]

Posted: 6/22/22 at 6:41pm

poisonivy2 said: "It's nuts how ppl go to the grocery store, ride on the subway, visit friends and family, get on a plane, go to work where large portions are unmasked, but somehow Broadway is the one place masking should be sacrosanct."

Planes unmasked WAY too soon. See: all the flight cancellations due to airline staff being sick with Covid. People *should* be wearing masks ON the subway. I also wear a mask at the grocery store and I’m one of the few however, I’m in there for maybe 20 minutes tops, Not sitting in a confined space next to the same group of people for 2.5 hours. The fact is most indoor spaces should not have dropped the mask mandates yet, including Broadway, despite you not wanting to wear one. 

[ElephantLoveMedley]

Posted: 6/22/22 at 6:50pm

Hairspray0901 said: "Planes unmasked WAY too soon. See: all the flight cancellations due to airline staff being sick with Covid."

"See" what? That's not a thing that happened. In fact, airplanes have been one of the safest places in the world to be during the pandemic due to air circulating between 20 and 30 times every hour through HEPA filters, in addition to the overhead air vents circulating air constantly. 

So much baseless fearmongering on here.

[poisonivy2]

Posted: 6/22/22 at 6:50pm

Hairspray0901 said: "poisonivy2 said: "It's nuts how ppl go to the grocery store, ride on the subway, visit friends and family, get on a plane, go to work where large portions are unmasked, but somehow Broadway is the one place masking should be sacrosanct."

Planes unmasked WAY too soon. See: all the flight cancellations due to airline staff being sick with Covid. People *should* be wearing masks ON the subway. I also wear a mask at the grocery store and I’m one of the few however, I’m in there for maybe 20 minutes tops, Not sitting in a confined space next to the same group of people for 2.5 hours. The fact is most indoor spaces should not have dropped the mask mandates yet, including Broadway, despite you not wanting to wear one."

I wore masks religiously for almost 2 years. I stopped when the mask mandates were dropped. I still wear one in public transit and if places ask me to wear one.

I'm not some freedumb MAGA-idiot who thought masks were an infringement on my right to be stupid. I just think mask mandates have had their day and it's time to let them end.

[Kad]

Posted: 6/22/22 at 6:53pm

We’re far more likely to see a rethinking of protocol for COVID cases within a Broadway company than a return to mask requirements. And thinking this policy change will negatively affect box office grosses is, frankly, delusional.
 

The issue this winter and spring wasn’t necessarily that Broadway companies were debilitated by illness- it was that if anyone tested positive, they had to withdraw from the show for well over a week. And that remains the case. 
 

And while long COVID is indeed serious and a cause for concern, it is very much worth mentioning that there is no real medical consensus on what it actually entails or how concerning it should be. It’s been used to describe over 200 symptoms that range from slightly inconvenient to debilitating and from lasting a few weeks to months or years. Lots of percentages have been thrown around on this thread for how common it is, but they’ve all been cherry picked to be the most dire. 
 

Covid is serious and still can be deadly. But it’s not spring of 2020 anymore, and it’s starting to resemble any number of endemic diseases we’ve learned to live with- even ones that can kill, like the flu. I’m not exactly cheering on this decision, but it’s also getting hard to square the mask policy with how I and my friends have been living our lives over the last year. 

Updated On: 6/22/22 at 06:53 PM

[Hairspray0901]

Posted: 6/22/22 at 7:59pm

ElephantLoveMedley said: "Hairspray0901 said: "Planes unmasked WAY too soon. See: all the flight cancellations due to airline staff being sick with Covid."

"See" what? That's not a thing that happened. In fact, airplanes have been one of the safest places in the world to be during the pandemic due to air circulating between 20 and 30 times every hour through HEPA filters, in addition to the overhead air vents circulating air constantly.

So much baseless fearmongering on here."

I literally just read an article about this but sure, Jan. Source: https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/minnesota/news/airline-industry-struggles/#app

“From gate agents to air traffic controllers, all corners of an airport are in need of workers, which have led to further delays and issues. People getting sick with COVID-19 continues to lead to temporary shortages.”

 

[April Saul]

Posted: 6/22/22 at 8:03pm

I had finally come back to theatergoing...and now, I'll be absent as of July. The friends of mine who are currently suffering from COVID are having really awful experiences with it, and the theater was one place where I was feeling relatively safe. It is hardly a huge sacrifice to wear a mask for a few hours when you know you will be in a room surrounded at close range by strangers--no matter how long the pandemic lasts. If we as Americans can't even make that small of a sacrifice, we're in serious trouble.

Bad decision, Broadway.  See ya later.

[UncleCharlie]

Posted: 6/22/22 at 8:17pm

Hairspray0901 said: "Planes unmasked WAY too soon. See: all the flight cancellations due to airline staff being sick with Covid."

 

That's not why flights are being cancelled, Flight cancellations are due to a perfect storm of complex issues and have almost nothing to do with pilots out sick with Covid. It's that they fundamentally don't have enough trained pilots on staff NOT that they have plenty of pilots but not enough of them are healthy.

If you ask the airlines, they'll say Oh, it was Covid which is a great excuse that allows them to admit no fault rather than saying "Yeah we could see this coming for years and we did nothing about it (as the aviation expert in your own article states) and we even scheduled flights for this summer, knowing we would never be able to staff it and we'd figure something out at the last minute." Flights are being cancelled cause they simply don't have enough pilots, not because a couple of workers at the Cinnabon by Gate 14 went down with Covid.

During Covid when flight schedules were reduced 80-90% or more, many pilots took early retirement offers, a much larger number than the airlines planned for. Many more were furloughed and fewer of them have returned than was anticipated. This is especially true at the commuter airlines which is causing the bulk of the cancellations as regionals like SkyWest, Mesa etc. flying under United Express, and similar structures at the other majors are all incredibly short of pilots. Salary continues to be an issue, with an experienced Captain at some of regionals making about the same as a sanitation worker with a few years experience in a major city. It's been an issue for years and with salaries in other industries now rising to address a shortage of workers, it's come to a head as airlines simply cannot attract enough new pilots fast enough at current salaries and get them through the rigorous training required before the FAA will allow them to fly to meet current demand.

Combine that with consumer demand rising faster than most of the airlines anticipated as people cooped up for up to 2 years, want to get on a plane and fly somewhere, anywhere.

The pilot shortage is very real but to claim it's due to too many being out sick with Covid is simply not accurate.

Updated On: 6/22/22 at 08:17 PM

[BroadwayPatriot]

Posted: 6/22/22 at 11:35pm

Lot666 said: "peterparker1 said: "There’s a handful of posts here about not going to theatre because masks aren’t mandatory anymore. That doesn’t take away your decision to wear a mask. So explain why my not wearing a mask is troublesome to you, if you still wear a mask? Why do you care what other people are doing? Shouldn’t you worry about you and your health and safety?"

Is it possible that you truly don't know how ignorant that sounds?"

It’s not ignorant the mask is an amulet and does very little to “ stop the spread “

[SydneyBristow]

Posted: 6/23/22 at 3:28am

Haven't seen the big * of Broadway's mask mandate addressed - "except when eating and drinking."

So all this time, a (perhaps large) portion of the audience was NOT masked 100% of the time in theaters.  From what I observed, lobby and bar areas would get pretty crowded with unmasked patrons.  Even if you did not participate, you'd have to go by/through those unmasked crowds to get to a restroom.  Or there were routinely unmasked people in the audience, as food and drinks were allowed in the seats.

If people were allowed to remove their masks at will throughout performances, it doesn't seem like the "mask mandate" was as ironclad a shield as some on this thread are treating it.  

[JasonC3]

Posted: 6/23/22 at 4:59am

"Consistent use of a face mask or respirator in indoor public settings was associated with lower odds of a positive SARS-CoV-2 test result (adjusted odds ratio = 0.44). Use of respirators with higher filtration capacity was associated with the most protection, compared with no mask use."

https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/71/wr/mm7106e1.htm

[WestEndGal]

Posted: 6/23/22 at 7:16am

poisonivy2 said: "It's nuts how ppl go to the grocery store, ride on the subway, visit friends and family, get on a plane, go to work where large portions are unmasked, but somehow Broadway is the one place masking should be sacrosanct."

This! There’s of course people within the Broadway community that are unhappy with the end of mask mandates, but let’s be honest here - the hardcore Broadway community is by its nature very liberal, very shouty and very performative, especially on social media, so those opinions against this decision don’t represent the majority. And few people within the community who support the decision are gonna come out and say it, because why would they when all they’ll get is social media abuse, or their stans trying to cancel them. We’ll see but I would imagine that we’ll see 75% or more of maskless audiences once the mandates end. 

I also don’t think you can justify retaining a mask mandates based simply on the argument that covid is worse than flu because it causes long covid (especially when we know long flu affects people also) when much more research is needed on it to know how it affects people. 
 

I just personally think that retaining mask mandates now is disproportionate to the actual risks. 

[dramamama611]

Posted: 6/23/22 at 7:48am

It's almost like sitting in a Bway theater is....I don't know...DIFFERENT then the things you list.   MOST of those things do not have me sitting practically shoulder to shoulder for 2+ hours, inevitably breathing in droplets of some 500 to 1500 STRANGERS.   Yes, the subway gets crowded - and I actually saw MANY people wearing masks when I was in the city 2x in the last few weeks.  We were NEVER the only ones doing so. 

Is there any guarantee that we won't still catch covid?  Of course not, but that's always been the case. And yes, I know that my odds of becoming SERIOUSLY ill due to it are very slim - but I'd rather not get ill at all.

Other cultures (mostly Asian, from my awareness) have often worn masks when they've been sick - with a cold, the flu, etc - so as not to infect the people around them.  At first, I thought it was quite odd when I became aware of it a few years ago - but now I very much see the sense in it, why wouldn't we all WANT to help protect others (as well as ourselves)?

[ColorTheHours048]

Posted: 6/23/22 at 8:21am

The knots some of y’all are twisting yourselves into over this. Far too much.

If you want to keep wearing a mask, do it. If you don’t want to, don’t. Just like literally anywhere else we go now, you have to make the decision if you’re comfortable or not. But COVID isn’t going away, so…

[TheQuibbler]

Posted: 6/23/22 at 8:49am

I think I’d be a little more relaxed about this if I hadn’t just had a truly awful bout with COVID. I’m a healthy, early 30s person whose been vaccinated and boosted, and the latest round was truly the most sick I’ve ever been in my life. And only now, a full month later, am I actually fully recovered. I didn’t die (obviously) but I would prefer not to go through that again. That’s all to say, the virus still feels prominent and dangerous, with shows still canceling due to COVID illnesses; and sitting in a theater does feel different than some of those other outings. I fully understand the need to “keep living our lives,” but I don’t think that means “pretend like the last two years never happened and everything is fine.” …I don’t know.

[musikman]

Posted: 6/23/22 at 11:58am

poisonivy2 said: "It's nuts how ppl go to the grocery store, ride on the subway, visit friends and family, get on a plane, go to work where large portions are unmasked, but somehow Broadway is the one place masking should be sacrosanct."

This does not take into account that in most of these places and situations, people are mobile or have the freedom to move around or get out, or may only be there for a short amount of time.  In the theatre you may be sat directly next to or in front of someone who is coughing up a storm.  For 2+ hours.  My parents will not choose seats that aren’t on the aisle so that they can get up in the event someone around them seems sick. They also won’t be attending performances for the foreseeable future with the mandate being dropped.  

Additionally, for many of the situations you mentioned above, there are also people who cannot or will not partake in any of those precisely because many are unmasked.  They felt safe in a theatre because of the mandate, and was one of the few places left in public indoors where this was the case.   Now that it’s being taken away, they won’t feel safe.   
 


 

 

[OhHiii]

Posted: 6/23/22 at 1:32pm

To those insisting that the majority of people are against this and, thus, will stop coming, a quick survey of which posts in this thread are getting likes over others, it's clear where the majority is on this issue. But keep making pretzels out of yourselves, it's really productive.

 

[pagereynolds]

Posted: 6/23/22 at 1:34pm

OhHiii said: "To those insisting that the majority of people are against this and, thus, will stop coming, a quick survey of which posts in this thread are getting likes over others, it's clear where the majority is on this issue. But keep making pretzels out of yourselves, it's really productive.
"

Reading comprehension is important. The poll literally says 70% of people either aren't going to go (11%) or will continue wearing a mask. That's a pretty good indicator that most people are against the change.

[poisonivy2]

Posted: 6/23/22 at 1:36pm

musikman said: "poisonivy2 said: "It's nuts how ppl go to the grocery store, ride on the subway, visit friends and family, get on a plane, go to work where large portions are unmasked, but somehow Broadway is the one place masking should be sacrosanct."

This does not take into account that in most of these places and situations, people are mobile or have the freedom to move around or get out, or may only be there for a short amount of time. In the theatre you may be sat directly next to or in front of someone who is coughing up a storm. For 2+ hours. My parents will not choose seats that aren’t on the aisle so that they can get up in the event someone around them seems sick. They also won’t be attending performances for the foreseeable future with the mandate being dropped.

Additionally, for many of the situations you mentioned above, there are also people who cannot or will not partake in any of those precisely because many are unmasked. They felt safe in a theatre because of the mandate, and was one of the few places left in public indoors where this was the case. Now that it’s being taken away, they won’t feel safe.


How is this any worse than an airplane? In an airplane you're in confined spaces with people for the duration of the flight with very poor air circulation.


"

 

[ColorTheHours048]

Posted: 6/23/22 at 1:40pm

pagereynolds said: "Reading comprehension is important. The poll literally says 70% of people either aren't going to go (11%) or will continue wearing a mask. That's a pretty good indicator that most people are against the change."

No. It’s an indicator that 11% are against it. I’ll continue to wear my mask and I’m not against the change. But you’re right, reading comprehension is very important.