Concerts, performances could return in the fall ‘if everything goes right,’ Fauci says

Dr. Anthony Fauci offered hope that concerts and theater performances could return in 2021.

Speaking at a conference for the Association of Performing Arts Professionals, the nation’s top infectious disease expert was asked when indoor venues will be able to reopen their doors for the public. The performing arts industry has largely been shut down during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Fauci said it’s important for the country to reach herd immunity of 70 to 85% of the population vaccinated from the coronavirus.

“If everything goes right, this will occur sometime in the fall of 2021, 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,” Fauci said, according to The New York Times.

He also provided tips for venues, including offering improved air ventilation, that could help them go back to normalcy.

Providing proof of vaccination could also be an option for venues, Fauci said.

“You come in, the only requirement might be to wear a mask, particularly if the indoor venue is well ventilated and maybe has some HEPA filters,” he said. “I think then you can start getting back to almost full capacity of seating.”

Chris Stapleton, The Weeknd and Justin Bieber are among the American musicians who have tours scheduled to begin in the United States this summer, according to Billboard.

Broadway shows will remain shut down through the end of May.

It’s more responsible for venues to hold outdoor concerts, Fauci said. He noted how the “overwhelming majority” of superspreader events have occurred at indoor gatherings.

“If you’re out there, with the natural breezes that blow respiratory particles away, it is so much safer,” he said.

The popular Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in California is still on for April, but other outdoor music festivals are planning to have their events at later dates in 2021.

“We will get out of this. This will end,” Fauci said. “We will be back to normal. We will be back in the theaters, performers will be performing, audiences will be enjoying it. It will happen.”

This story was originally published January 11, 2021 at 3:20 PM with the headline "Concerts, performances could return in the fall ‘if everything goes right,’ Fauci says."