With only a few narrow exceptions, anyone looking to enter The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Hartford will have to be both vaccinated and masked, the venue’s management announced Thursday.
The mandate applies to all patrons, staff, volunteers, performers, backstage crew and others accessing the building through Oct. 31. Patrons may only remove their masks for eating and drinking in designated areas of the center, according to the new policy.
“The successful reopening of live performing arts venues around the country and around the world relies on a vaccinated public,” said Bushnell President and CEO David Fay. “The Bushnell is committed to creating a healthy and safe environment for our audiences, staff, volunteers, artists and crew, and we know that the best way to do that is to follow the science.”
Under the new rules, anyone looking to enter the Bushnell must show proof of vaccination, along with a valid ticket and government-issued identification. Patrons must have received the second dose of a two-dose vaccine or the one dose of a single-dose vaccine at least 14 days before attending a performance.
Children under the age of 12 are exempt from the vaccination requirement, as are people with certain medical conditions and those with “closely held religious beliefs that prevent vaccination.” As an alternative, these visitors must provide proof of a negative COVID-19 PCR test taken within 72 hours of the performance start time or a negative COVID-19 antigen test taken within six hours of the performance start time.
The Bushnell expects to review its entry policies for performances after Oct. 31 and may adjust them “as public health circumstances evolve.”
The new mandate comes as theaters, museums, stadiums and other large venues navigate rising coronavirus infection rates powered by the more contagious delta variant. While total infections and hospitalization rates in Connecticut remain far below their winter peak, renewed and apparently unchecked transmission of the virus has prompted several cities, including Hartford and New Haven, to impose indoor masking requirements.
