Met Opera drops vaccine requirement, still mandates masks

The Met season opens Sept. 27

The Metropolitan Opera is dropping its vaccination requirement for audiences next season but still will mandate the wearing of masks.

The decision announced Tuesday differentiates the Met from Broadway theaters, which loosened restrictions in July by making mask-wearing optional.

The Met

A view of the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, April 2, 2021, in New York City.  (Noam Galai/Getty Images / Getty Images)

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In May, most Broadway theaters lifted the requirement that audience members provide proof of vaccination to enter venues.

The Met season opens Sept. 27 with the company premiere of Cherubini's "Medea" in an Italian translation.

Pfizer vaccine

FILE PHOTO: Vials labeled "COVID-19 Coronavirus Vaccine" and a syringe are seen in front of the Pfizer logo in this illustration taken Feb. 9, 2021.  (REUTERS/Dado Ruvic / Reuters)

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The company returned last season from a 1½ year absence caused by the pandemic, managing 196 staged performances without a cancellation. The Met sold 61% of available tickets, down from 75% in last pre-pandemic season of 2018-19.