The New York Times published an article about the contents of a conversation during the APAP|NYC+ 2021 conference between Dr. Anthony Fauci, who is director of NIAID and the vice chair of DDCF’s board, and Maurine Knighton, DDCF’s program director for the arts, about the state of the performing arts and prospects for reopening venues amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
“…Dr. Fauci said that if vaccine distribution succeeded, theaters with good ventilation and proper air filters might not need to place many restrictions for performances by the fall — except asking their audience members to wear masks, which he suggested could continue to be a norm for some time.
‘I think you can then start getting back to almost full capacity of seating,’ he said.
Dr. Fauci was asked about a frustration among some performing arts professionals that restaurants, bars, gyms and places of worship have been allowed to open in some states while theaters and other performance venues have remained shuttered. In response, Dr. Fauci urged them to do more research on the ventilation quality of their theaters and to explore how improving air flow might affect transmission.”