Top Infectious Disease Expert Says Theaters and Venues Could Reopen by Fall 2021

The will call booth at the Beacon Theatre has been closed since the Love Rocks NYC concert on March 12. After the concert, participants including Jackson Browne, Paul Shaffer, Ivan Neville, Larry Campbell and others were bed-ridden with COVID symptoms. (photograph by Lynne Volkman)

Theaters and other venues could reopen in the autumn of 2021, according to Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top infectious disease expert in the United States.

Speaking on January 9 at a virtual conference held by the Association of Performing Arts Professionals, Dr. Fauci said that if the vaccination program proves successful, live performances with live audiences could resume with relatively few restrictions. The timeline, he proposed, hinged on the country reaching an effective level of herd immunity, which he defined as 70 to 85 percent of the population being vaccinated.

"If everything goes right, this is will occur sometime in the fall of 2021," Dr. Fauci said. "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."

The Meetles performed at the Anyway Café on January 4.
With theaters and large venues still closed after 10 months, music acts this winter are performing indoors in restaurants to audiences seated outdoors.

Dr. Fauci said that once vaccine distribution becomes widespread, theaters and other venues with proper ventilation and air flow might be able to reopen safely. Even if the United States does reach herd immunity, however, Dr. Fauci advised that all venue operators should remain vigilant on safety precautions. Fauci said the concert industry could follow the example of the airlines, requiring audience members to present a negative Covid-19 test result before admittance. At the very least, venues may ask audiences to continue wearing masks. He advocated that masks could remain the norm for an unspecified time period, even as greater numbers receive the vaccine.

"You can then start getting back to almost full capacity of seating," he said.

The Benny Benack Trio performed at Rue-B on January 5.

Dr. Fauci cited a recent study in Germany which demonstrated that arena concerts could be safe if the venue had an effective ventilation system and other safety protocols in place. An indoor concert, staged by scientists in August, suggested that such events had "low to very low" impact on the spread of the virus when promoters committed to adequate ventilation, strict hygiene protocols, and limited capacity.

"We'll be back in the theaters. Performers will be performing, audiences will be enjoying it," he said. "It will happen."

The Underground Harmony performed at Caravan of Dreams on January 6