PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — As Pennsylvania business continue to take precautions to stop the spread of the coronavirus — and stay open — regional theater companies are adopting new COVID-19 vaccine and mask requirements for audiences attending stage performances in person.
According to the Pennsylvania Department of Health, from Jan. 1 through Sept. 7, people who were unvaccinated or not fully vaccinated made up 94% of all new COVID-19 cases and 97% of all related deaths in the commonwealth.
Theatre Philadelphia, a service and support umbrella organization for performance companies, announced this week a new policy to encourage people attending indoor performances to get a COVID-19 vaccination.
"The theaters who have signed on completely to this policy are requesting to show proof of vaccination, or a recent negative test, to be able to enter the theater," said Executive Director LaNeshe Miller-White.
More than 30 theater companies are on board with the change for the upcoming season, which gets underway in a couple of weeks. The goal for all of them, Miller-White said, was to create a streamlined process for patrons as well as front-of-house staff.
The policy varies slightly for a few theaters.
"Some theaters are only accepting proof of vaccination," Miller-White explained.
"There are some theaters who are doing specific weeks of their run that are vaccination-only, and then you can come on those other weeks if you are not vaccinated. Or they may have one show each week with that category."
For example, Inis Nua, which produces plays from Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales, has special vaccine-only weeks during the run of two American premieres this season.
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This move toward requiring vaccinations and masks falls in line with similar mandates, for the safety of customers and workers, currently in place in Philadelphia. If not everyone is vaccinated, masks must be worn by all audience members.
"It allow us to re-open, re-open safely, and to stay open by keeping the numbers down and also giving audiences a sense of security," she said.
"My hope is that we can, as a sector, be as safe as possible, so that we are not contributing to any rise in numbers. Hopefully we are seeing numbers fall, because we do not want to close again."
For a list of upcoming shows in the region, as well as the new audience requirements, visit Theatre Philadelphia online.