Orange County's Biggest Live Performing Arts Venues To Require Vaccination, Masks For All Ticket Holders
IRVINE (CBSLA) — Arts lovers will have to show proof of being vaccinated against COVID-19 and be OK with wearing a mask to take in a show at any of Orange County's major live performance arts venues for the foreseeable future.
The Irvine Barclay Theatre, Musco Center for the Arts, Pacific Chorale, Pacific Symphony, Philharmonic Society of Orange County, Segerstrom Center for the Arts, Soka Performing Arts Center, and South Coast Repertory worked with Arts Orange County and health experts to make the joint announcement Monday to require mandatory vaccination and face masks to make their venues as safe as possible for upcoming live performances.
"The success in reopening live performing arts venues lies heavily with everyone," Casey Reitz, president of the Segerstrom Center for the Arts, said in a statement. "Having a fully vaccinated audience ensures a safe environment. Everyone plays an important part, not just on stage, but in the audience. We are excited to raise the curtain again!"
The move comes as COVID-19 cases have risen across the country, in large part due to the more contagious Delta variant that even vaccinated people can transmit. The CDC has again recommended people, even those who are vaccinated, to resume wearing face masks indoors, which is now a mandate in Los Angeles, Ventura, Santa Barbara, and several Northern California counties.
"We have all been taken aback by the need to return to more stringent guidelines for the reopening of performing arts venues," Renee Bodie, general manager of the Soka Performing Arts Center. "These mandates will allow us to safely share the beauty of live music with our patrons once again, something we have all been waiting a long time for."
The policy is in effect for all indoor performances and will undergo regular review as public health circumstances evolve.