brenway said: "COVID hits this industry faster because everyone is still testing regularly.
In my opinion, COVID testing is a 2020 policy/procedure that is still being used for some reason in 2022, post vaccination. I have never understood why once everyone is vaccinated the point of being tested? Unless you are showing symptoms I really don't see the need to quarantine at this point. Cases have gone up but hospitalizations and deaths are still dropping.
There's many reasons this industry is behind on a lot COVID-wise but keeping testing policies and cancelling shows in the process is truly baffling. If the Broadway League keeps the mask policy past the April 30th date, it's just insane. With that being said vaccination requirements should definitely stay."
Um, because this is basic science. You can have COVID and spread COVID with no symptoms whatsoever. You can be infections for 5-10 days.
pagereynolds said: "brenway said: "COVID hits this industry faster because everyone is still testing regularly.
In my opinion, COVID testing is a 2020 policy/procedure that is still being used for some reason in 2022, post vaccination. I have never understood why once everyone is vaccinated the point of being tested? Unless you are showing symptoms I really don't see the need to quarantine at this point. Cases have gone up but hospitalizations and deaths are still dropping.
There's many reasons this industry is behind on a lot COVID-wise but keeping testing policies and cancelling shows in the process is truly baffling. If the Broadway League keeps the mask policy past the April 30th date, it's just insane. With that being said vaccination requirements should definitely stay."
Um, because this is basic science. You can have COVID and spread COVID with no symptoms whatsoever. You can be infections for 5-10 days."
Yeah and if you get COVID and are vaccinated, what happens?
I simply don't understand the point of a quarantining anymore. How many people have had COVID since being vaccinated and didn't know? Probably lots, most people are not getting tested regularly.
Didn't they say last year that they wanted to get the US up to 70% or 75% fully vaccinated? We are at 66% percent in the US from what I have seen. Maybe they are still doing quarantines until we get past 70%. They have shortened the quarantine days though.
brenway said: "Yeah and if you get COVID and are vaccinated, what happens?
It was already explained to you: vaccinated individuals can still catch covid-19, and they can pass it on, not only to other vaccinated individuals, but moreso to the unvaccinated. While everyone in a Broadway theatre is vaccinated, you don't know the situation at home, or in their personal lives. Someone can catch it from the cast or fellow audience members and pass it on to someone who isn't vaccinated, which can prove deadly. You can't be that dense.
I simply don't understand the point of a quarantining anymore. How many people have had COVID since being vaccinated and didn't know? Probably lots, most people are not getting tested regularly."
A Chorus Line revival played its final Broadway performance on August 17, 2008. The tour played its final performance on August 21, 2011. A new non-equity tour started in October 2012 played its final performance on March 23, 2013. Another non-equity tour launched on January 20, 2018. The tour ended its US run in Kansas City and then toured throughout Japan August & September 2018.
Fosse76 said: "brenway said: "Yeah and if you get COVID and are vaccinated, what happens?
It was already explained to you: vaccinated individuals can still catch covid-19, and they can pass it on, not only to other vaccinated individuals, but moreso to the unvaccinated. While everyone in a Broadway theatre is vaccinated, you don't know the situation at home, or in their personal lives. Someone can catch it from the cast or fellow audience members and pass it on to someone who isn't vaccinated, which can prove deadly. You can't be that dense.
I simply don't understand the point of a quarantining anymore. How many people have had COVID since being vaccinated and didn't know? Probably lots, most people are not getting tested regularly."
I guess you are that dense."
Since I am “that dense” what are the rates that vaccinated people with COVID are dying?
If you have Covid concerns, I'd stay far away from MJ The Musical !
At the performance I was at last week, the moment intermission was over, 75% of the front mezzanine had their masks off. I imagine some just forgot if they were eating or drinking during intermission--but it was alarming to see how many maskless, dense people there were given the rules of the house.
The ushers, who aren't young, only made one pass with their "Keep Masks On" fans before the show, but not during or before intermission ended. I guess they haven't been to the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre.
My friend was concerned as she has a medical condition, so I went to inquire with an usher. Only to find him laying over his cane back chair snoring , a plethora of half-stuffed Playbills at his feet, with his mask around his neck.
We went downstairs and the orchestra usher asked if we needed help. To which my friend replied, "We're just trying to find a seat where people are wearing masks!' So, the usher said she had two empty seats on the aisle in row K--and whisked us over. As we were about to take our seats we noticed the couple seated next to us were knocked out, no masks, heads cocked to the side, and snoring. We politely told the usher, no thanks, and watched the rest of the show standing at the back of the orchestra. Unmasked, sloppy patrons aside, it's amazing the amount of slumbering during a MJ concert--as tame as it was.
Most people seem to be over it at this point. Two years later and people really don't care about wearing a mask or social distancing anymore. A shame as those that are unvaccinated can still become very sick from this. Unless you're in the entertainment industry, health care or education, people aren't getting tested regularly anymore.
A Chorus Line revival played its final Broadway performance on August 17, 2008. The tour played its final performance on August 21, 2011. A new non-equity tour started in October 2012 played its final performance on March 23, 2013. Another non-equity tour launched on January 20, 2018. The tour ended its US run in Kansas City and then toured throughout Japan August & September 2018.
brenway said: "COVID hits this industry faster because everyone is still testing regularly.
In my opinion, COVID testing is a 2020 policy/procedure that is still being used for some reason in 2022, post vaccination. I have never understood why once everyone is vaccinated the point of being tested? Unless you are showing symptoms I really don't see the need to quarantine at this point. Cases have gone up but hospitalizations and deaths are still dropping.
There's many reasons this industry is behind on a lot COVID-wise but keeping testing policies and cancelling shows in the process is truly baffling. If the Broadway League keeps the mask policy past the April 30th date, it's just insane. With that being said vaccination requirements should definitely stay."
I actually don't inherently disagree with you here, but what you're asking for is just not gonna happen. Unless Equity dramatically changes their approach to Covid, regular testing is the new normal on Broadway. Productions are just gonna have to make plans for that, and structure things (anywhere from casting to the rehearsal process) so that it doesn't cause the kind of performance disruptions we saw back in December.
BroadwayRox3588 said: "ACL2006 said: "Unless you're in the entertainment industry, health care or education, people aren't getting tested regularly anymore."
Maybe because, with the exception of the industries you named, there's no reason to."
Agreed. In my industry, talent is very over it! The amount of false positives alone are insane.
brenway said: "BroadwayRox3588 said: "ACL2006 said: "Unless you're in the entertainment industry, health care or education, people aren't getting tested regularly anymore."
Maybe because, with the exception of the industries you named, there's no reason to."
Agreed. In my industry, talent is very over it! The amount of false positives alone are insane."
I'm sure there are plenty of people in every industry that are over it. I just don't see it going away anytime soon, in the theatre industry.
BroadwayRox3588 said: "brenway said: "BroadwayRox3588 said: "ACL2006 said: "Unless you're in the entertainment industry, health care or education, people aren't getting tested regularly anymore."
Maybe because, with the exception of the industries you named, there's no reason to."
Agreed. In my industry, talent is very over it! The amount of false positives alone are insane."
I'm sure there are plenty of people in every industry that are over it. I just don't see it going away anytime soon, in the theatre industry."
The mask/vaccination mandates aren't going anywhere in 2022.
pagereynolds said: "BroadwayRox3588 said: "brenway said: "BroadwayRox3588 said: "ACL2006 said: "Unless you're in the entertainment industry, health care or education, people aren't getting tested regularly anymore."
Maybe because, with the exception of the industries you named, there's no reason to."
Agreed. In my industry, talent is very over it! The amount of false positives alone are insane."
I'm sure there are plenty of people in every industry that are over it. I just don't see it going away anytime soon, in the theatre industry."
The mask/vaccination mandates aren't going anywhere in 2022."
With all due respect, we weren't talking about the mask/vaccination mandates.
It is very unfortunate for all involved that shows are canceled because of positive covid cases. No one wants to get covid, and on top of it be out of work for a period of time.
That said, regardless of what happens with vaccine mandates/mask wearing, there will be people not happy. Arguing about it isn’t going to solve anything.
pagereynolds said: "BroadwayRox3588 said: "brenway said: "BroadwayRox3588 said: "ACL2006 said: "Unless you're in the entertainment industry, health care or education, people aren't getting tested regularly anymore."
Maybe because, with the exception of the industries you named, there's no reason to."
Agreed. In my industry, talent is very over it! The amount of false positives alone are insane."
I'm sure there are plenty of people in every industry that are over it. I just don't see it going away anytime soon, in the theatre industry."
The mask/vaccination mandates aren't going anywhere in 2022."
The path to COVID becoming an endemic disease may take years - until we get a sense of how the virus behaves over a much longer period of time. They may do away with announcing mandates at some point, when masks and vax proof become more of a given thing.
Trish2 said: "If you have Covid concerns, I'd stay far away from MJ The Musical !
At the performance I was at last week, the moment intermission was over, 75% of the front mezzanine had their masks off. I imagine some just forgot if they were eating or drinking during intermission--but it was alarming to see how many maskless, dense people there were given the rules of the house.
The ushers, who aren't young, only made one pass with their "Keep Masks On" fans before the show, but not during or before intermission ended. I guess they haven't been to the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre.
My friend was concerned as she has a medical condition, so I went to inquire with an usher. Only to find him laying over his cane back chair snoring , a plethora of half-stuffed Playbills at his feet, with his mask around his neck.
We went downstairs and the orchestra usher asked if we needed help. To which my friend replied, "We're just trying to find a seat where people are wearing masks!' So, the usher said she had two empty seats on the aisle in row K--and whisked us over. As we were about to take our seats we noticed the couple seated next to us were knocked out, no masks, heads cocked to the side, and snoring. We politely told the usher, no thanks, and watched the rest of the show standing at the back of the orchestra. Unmasked, sloppy patrons aside, it's amazing the amount of slumbering during a MJ concert--as tame as it was."
I usher at MJ. I can’t speak for that usher, but he should be disciplined. Some of us work very hard and do the best we can with the options we are given. We are only permitted to do so much and then it is up to security and covid safety to decide. I don’t know what else to say except please be kind and patient with us. Many of us care. Most of us care. But our hands are tied by bureaucracy.
"I know now that theatre saved my life." - Susan Stroman
BroadwayRox3588 said: ". Unless Equity dramatically changes their approach to Covid, regular testing is the new normal on Broadway. Productions are just gonna have to make plans for that, and structure things (anywhere from casting to the rehearsal process) so that it doesn't cause the kind of performance disruptions we saw back in December."
There are a lot of misinformed and/or confused people posting in this thread. Let's try to help them out a bit.
First, the reason for Equity's approach is that actors have some of the few jobs where one cannot work and wear a mask. Therefore, if someone would voluntarily wear a mask for health or other reasons, they need to be provided with heightened vigilance before asking them to take the heightened risk. It is well to remember that actors need their voices and their health to do their jobs.
Second, producers have millions of dollars at stake. Not testing dramatically increases the chances of Covid spreading like wildfire, making it impossible to stage a show. The current strategy is intended to interdict infections asap and to provide enhanced coverage for roles and positions with the aim of preventing individual infections from shutting down the entire production. Does that strategy always succeed? No, but there have been hundreds if not thousands of performances that went on because of this strategy.
Third, the idea of herd immunity is a ship that has sailed. We missed our opportunity when idiots did not get vaccinated and the virus started mutating, which is what viruses do. FWIW New York City is 97% vaccinated at least partly, and 87.4% fully vaccinated. If we were an island without bridges, tunnels and airports, we would not be seeing these variants.
BroadwayRox3588 said: "EDSOSLO858 said: "I hope wintertime hiatuses are the new normal for the shows that are struggling. Kevin McCollum may have started a trend here."
I think Equity and other unions would have something to say about that."
They may have a lot to say, but the alternative is full companies out of work indefinitely. Equity wants to have it both ways. Their policies were written for the circumstances of 2020. The virus situation just isn’t what it was then no matter how much the mask-faithful would like it to be.
Also, a lot of folks here saying “what about the unvaccinated?!?!” Yeah…what about them? The VAST majority of the unvaxxed actively chose not to take it for political purposes. That’s on them. We don’t screech society to a halt for people who don’t get their flu shot.