Concerts may be able to make a comeback this year, according to Dr. Anthony Fauci, who cautiously suggested that some venues could reopen this fall. However, the US Chief Medical Adviser warns that the return of live entertainment hinges on an effective vaccine rollout.
On Saturday, during a virtual conference held by the Association of Performing Arts Professionals reported by The New York Times, Dr. Fauci explained that the return of the lifeblood of the music industry depends upon the US reaching a vaccination threshold of 70 to 85 percent of the population. He also warned that masks would likely be a requirement for the foreseeable future.
“If everything goes right, this is will occur sometime in the fall of 2021,” Dr. Fauci said, “So that by the time we get to the early to mid-fall, you can have people feeling safe performing onstage as well as people in the audience.” That’s good news for the arts, as performers, tech crew, and other industry professionals have lost an estimated $14.8 billion according to a survey by Americans for the Arts, a national advocacy group.
Of course, in many locations throughout the country, venues have flouted safety regulations to host shows by DaBaby, Mulatto, and others. However, with the US’s vaccine distribution behind schedule, Fauci advised caution, recommending that perhaps venues could require audience members to provide negative test results in order to gain admittance, while also doing more studies on the impact of concerts and performances on the coronavirus’s spread.
Ultimately, he encouraged viewers that, “We’ll be back in the theaters — performers will be performing, audiences will be enjoying it.” “It will happen,” he said — even if it doesn’t quite happen as soon as he projects.
