As the COVID-19 Delta variant continues to surge, it’s inevitable concert promoters and venues will begin to take the necessary precautions for concertgoers.
On Friday (Aug. 6), Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino issued a statement about changes to the entertainment company’s COVID-19 practices at Live Nation venues in America.
According to a message, obtained by Hits Daily Double, artists at Live Nation events will have the option to require vaccination or proof of a negative test result for fans who want to attend their shows. Live Nation is giving all of its employees until Oct. 4 — the day the company offices reopen— to become fully vaccinated. They will not be allowed to enter venues or offices until they have taken the vaccine.
“It has been great to see events make such a strong return across the U.S., with demand for concerts and festivals continuing to outpace expectations,” Rapino writes. “We are working to ensure we are reopening in the best way possible for staff, artists, crew, fans and communities at large. Our teams have worked together to put new processes in place so artists doing shows with Live Nation in the U.S. can require all attendees and staff to be fully vaccinated or show a negative test result for entry where permitted by law. We believe this is a great model, and we have already implemented this successfully at many major shows, including Lollapalooza. We know people are eager to return to live events, and we hope these measures encourage even more people to get vaccinated. That is the number one thing anyone can do to take care of those around them, and we are encouraging as many shows as possible to adopt this model.”
Later in the message to employees, Rapino states: “We’ve seen great vaccination enthusiasm among our staff so far, and we want to ensure we’re taking every step possible to keep you all safe. Our business and our industry is about uniting people, and vaccines are one of the greatest tools for making sure everyone can continue to enjoy live music together. We’ve gone through a lot this past year, and it’s remarkable to see how far we’ve come.”
The requirement and COVID precautions arrives nearly three months after Rapino held a conference call discussing the entertainment company’s first quarter financial results and outlook for the rest of 2021.