There’s been ongoing speculation and debate, almost from the beginning of the pandemic and Broadway’s closure in March 2020, about reopening theaters on the Rialto. Even the Tony Awards have been the subject of such speculation about airing the ceremony, with no date for a broadcast in sight. But this week, in an interview with WNBC, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious diseases authority, says Broadway could possibly be turning the marquis back on in Fall 2021.
Dr. Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said as vaccines begin to be administered and available to the general public beginning this Spring, New Yorkers and the entire country could get back to normal by the end of summer or beginning of Fall 2021. “I think that will be completely dependent on the uptake of vaccines by the people of the country and specifically the people of New York,” Fauci said. “Since New York has many tourists, it probably is going to be the entire country.”
Additionally, Dr. Fauci indicated that a return to normalcy would mean 75 or 85 percent of the population would need to get vaccinated. Meanwhile, Gov. Andrew Cuomo has just announced that New York expects to receive 170,000 doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine by December 15, 2020. As per Center for Disease Control guidelines, the first to receive vaccinations will be nursing home residents and staff as well as healthcare workers. The Governor said he expects widespread immunization—75% to 85% of the population vaccinated—by June at the earliest. He noted that it could take as long as September 2021, however, depending on the operational efforts behind the vaccine distribution, including funding from the federal government, and the public’s willingness to get the vaccine.
It will remain to be seen if and how the Broadway League and other decision-makers of theater will take this information on board, and if Dr. Fauci’s and the Governor’s assessments, are, in fact, accurate.
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