Dr Fauci says live broadcasts will return if vaccine works

Dr Anthony Fauci said the reopening of theaters and live music “will take place in late fall 2021” – if the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine can start.

The director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases made the announcement during a virtual roundtable hosted by the Association of Performing Arts Professionals on Saturday.

He said, “From early to mid-fall, you can make people feel safe on stage as well as people in the audience.”

However, the revival depends on a big “if” – ironing out the ongoing problems in national vaccine distribution.

Fauci also revealed that ‘Hamilton’ was the last ‘gorgeous’ show he had seen live – and warned the conference crowd that the live audience could expect to continue wearing masks for the immediate future. , and that venues should likely consider requiring members of the public to show proof of negative coronavirus test results.

He also encouraged site owners to review ventilation systems and make appropriate improvements to airflow, and said that an effective level of herd immunity would mean that 70-85% of the population would have received vaccines.

In September, Fauci warned theatergoers that it could be more than a year before they can safely return to Broadway homes.

“I think it will be a combination of a vaccine that has been around for almost a year and good public health measures,” he said at the time. “If we get a really good vaccine and pretty much everyone gets vaccinated, you will have a degree of immunity in the community in general and I think you can walk into a theater without a mask and feel comfortable. not to go there. to be in danger. “

Meanwhile, last week, Fauci said it was likely that the highly contagious new strain of COVID-19 is already more prevalent across the country than is currently known.

He would be “very surprised” if the new variant that has emerged in the UK has not already reached “several other states”, he said. “I think it’s pretty clear that if it’s in places like California, New York, and Colorado … that very soon it’s going to be in several other states.”