BroadwaySF to require booster shot

Patrons 16 and older will need to provide proof starting Feb. 1

BroadwaySF, the presenter of Broadway tours at the Orpheum and Golden Gate theaters, plans to enforce a new COVID policy requiring that patrons ages 16 and older show proof of having received a booster shot at least one week before the performance they wish to attend.

In issuing this policy, which goes into effect Feb. 1, BroadwaySF cited a Dec. 29 health order from the San Francisco Department of Public Health that says that operators of indoor mega-events must require booster shots of eligible patrons beginning on that date; until then, such policies are only recommended, not required. That order defines a “mega-event” as one with more than 1,000 people indoors; both of BroadwaySF’s venues exceed that capacity.

The new policy reflects concerns about rising coronavirus case numbers as a result of the highly transmissible omicron variant. “Individuals who have received a booster shot increase their immunity to a level that confers significantly more protection from all circulating SARS-CoV-2 variants, including the Omicron variant, and generally prevents severe disease,” the health order reads.

BroadwaySF joins the San Francisco Symphony in requiring boosters of its patrons, as well as the Metropolitan Opera and Playwrights Horizons, both in New York City, and many Bay Area bars and restaurants. BroadwaySF’s new policy applies to the last week of performances of “The Band’s Visit,” which runs through Feb. 6.

For BroadwaySF patrons ages 12 to 15, the policy stays the same on Feb. 1; they must have received their final vaccine dose 14 days before their performance date, though no booster is required for them. Starting Feb. 1, patrons ages 5 to 11 must show either proof of one dose of a vaccine taken at least 14 days before the performance date or proof of a rapid test, either a PCR test taken within 48 hours of the performance or an antigen test taken within 24 hours of the performance. (Through Jan. 31, that age range can get a PCR test within 72 hours or an antigen test within six hours.)

These new policies join a long-standing masking policy in which patrons must wear masks at all times except when taking bites or sips of concessions.

For The Chronicle’s stories on the making of “The Band’s Visit” and theater critic Lily Janiak’s review, go to datebook.sfchron icle.com.

Evan Zimmerman / BroadwaySF Joe Joseph (left), Sasson Gabay and Janet Dacal in “The Band’s Visit,” now at S.F.’s Golden Gate Theatre.