Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, says widespread, national use of an efficacious vaccine this spring and early summer could allow Broadway to retake the stage by late summer or early fall.
In an interview with NBC New York’s David Ushery last night, Fauci was asked when Broadway might safely reopen its doors to audiences. (Watch the interview below.)
“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 and Broadway rely so heavily on tourists, Fauci said the entire country would need to have access to a vaccine.
“We’ve got to make sure that people get vaccinated,” Fauci said. “So if 75-85 percent of the people in the country get vaccinated as the vaccine becomes available. The general public – not speaking of the people of the highest priority who have underlying conditions but the broad general public, young men and women 20-30 years old with no underlying conditions – will have vaccine available in April, maybe sooner.
“If they get vaccinated through April, May and June, and we really do a full-court press to get everybody vaccinated, you can get back to normal or at least approaching close to normal as you get into the late summer and early fall.”
Though Fauci was asked about a return to Broadway without masks, he didn’t specifically address that topic but said pointedly “You never want to abandon public health measures.”
Prior to the recent encouraging news regarding the pending approval of several vaccines, Fauci had estimated a return to theaters in late 2021 at the earliest.
Broadway shows are currently suspended until June.
Watch the Fauci interview above. The Broadway discussion starts at the 11:30 mark.