Pollstar (07/30/21) Brown, Eric Renner
The more contagious Delta coronavirus variant, which can be spread by people vaccinated for COVID-19, is rocking a live events industry already on heightened alert. During the pandemic, the Event Safety Alliance (ESA) has been among the live industry's most aggressive promoters of coronavirus safety protocols. Advisories by U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky and Biden Administration chief medical adviser Anthony Fauci, plus worrying new data, backs the group's demands that event professionals comply with science in determining COVID-related safeguards. "The only reasonable thing to do under these circumstances is to follow the science, pay attention to it, and mitigate our health and safety risks as much as we're able to, given the circumstances on any particular day, wherever we are located," insisted ESA Vice President Steve Adelman. He noted that touring is likely to continue, because it is virtually impossible for someone who tests positive for the virus to prove they contracted it at a given concert. Meanwhile, Higginbotham insurance broker Paul Bassman said coronavirus is "completely excluded [by current policies], so it's a non-issue as far as insurance is concerned." With vaccinations more crucial than ever and inoculation rates trailing, live events could encourage immunization by making proof of vaccination and other safety measures mandatory for attendance.
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