New York's Met Opera mandates vaccines for new season

New York's Metropolitan Opera will require audiences and performers to be fully vaccinated for its upcoming season, the house announced Tuesday amid debate in the United States about mandatory vaccinations.

The Met said all customers, staff and members of its orchestra and chorus will need to show proof of vaccination against Covid-19 for performances in the 2021-22 season.

"The Met will be a fully vaccinated house," the prestigious institution said in an email sent to patrons.

Children under the age of 12, a group currently ineligible for vaccines, will not be allowed to enter the Met even if the adults accompanying them are vaccinated.

The announcement comes as parts of the United States move towards vaccine mandates due to fears over rising cases caused by the Delta variant.

California and New York City announced Monday that public sector workers would need to get vaccinated or take weekly tests.

The US Department of Veterans Affairs became the first federal agency to impose a mandate when it announced this week it would require more than 100,000 health care personnel to get Covid-19 vaccines.

(FILES) In this file photo Sonya Yoncheva, who plays the title role of the fiery diva, and Vittorio Grigolo, who plays her passionate lover, Cavaradossi, perform in “Tosca” at the Metropolitan Opera in New York on January 23, 2018. New York's Metropolitan Opera will require audiences and performers to be fully vaccinated for its upcoming season, the house announced on July 27, 2021 amid debate in the United States about mandatory vaccinations. The Met said all customers, staff and members of its orchestra and chorus will need to show proof of vaccination against Covid-19 for performances in the 2021–22 season. - (Photo by Jewel SAMAD / AFP)

New York officials said Tuesday that proof of vaccination would also be required for a concert on August 21 in Central Park to celebrate the city's post-Covid reopening, with Bruce Springsteen, Andrea Bocelli and Paul Simon slated to be among the performers.

Broadway -- due to fully return in September -- has not issued a general vaccine mandate, but two shows, "Springsteen on Broadway" and "Pass Over," have announced that audiences must be vaccinated.

The Met employs more than 3,000 staffers, the largest performing arts organization in the United States.

It has been closed since the coronavirus broke out in New York in March 2020 and is hoping to open at the end of September.

During the shutdown, the institution was rocked by labor tensions over proposed wage cuts.

Tentative agreements with unions representing its chorus and stagehands have been reached in recent weeks. — AFP