The newest show on Broadway will be a coronavirus vaccine site on the famed street that will be reserved for theater industry workers, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Thursday.
De Blasio said at a news conference the goal is to help theaters on and off Broadway to re-open for performances beginning in the fall.
“New York City never stops, we keep going no matter what, that’s who we are,” de Blasio said. “The show must go on and it will go on, on Broadway and off Broadway.”
The site will be located on Broadway and in addition, there also will be a mobile vaccination unit to serve theater workers beyond Broadway. De Blasio’s plan also calls for pop-up coronavirus testing sites located near Broadway and off Broadway theaters.
De Blasio opened his news conference by saying New York has a goal of seeing five million people fully vaccinated by June. As of Thursday, he said, New York had surpassed 3.5 million people vaccinated (3,537,937 and counting).
Earlier this month, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that arts, entertainment and events venues can reopen April 2 at 33% capacity, with a limit of 100 people indoors or 200 people outdoors. However, Broadway producers have said it is not economically viable for them to open their shows at reduced capacity.
Broadway shows, which grossed $1.83 billion during the 2018-19 season and helped fuel the NYC tourist economy, have been shuttered since March 12, 2020.
L.A.’s live performing arts venues, including downtown’s Music Center, have also suffered closures during the pandemic, including theater performances at the Ahmanson Theatre and Mark Taper Forum, opera at Dorothy Chandler Pavilion and Los Angeles Philharmonic performances at Walt Disney Concert Hall. In May, the Hollywood Bowl was forced to cancel the entire 2020 summer season for the first time in its 98-year history.
See De Blasio’s press conference in the video above.
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