Dallas Symphony Orchestra Music Director Fabio Luisi conducts members of the DSO and the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra as they perform Mahler’s First Symphony in Dallas, April 30, 2021. Photo: Ben Torres
“Canceling shows. Extending mask requirements. Testing staff and performers for COVID-19. As coronavirus infections spike across the region …North Texas arts groups are again finding themselves on uncertain ground as they did in the pandemic’s earlier days,” writes Tim Diovanni in Monday’s (8/2) Dallas Morning News. “But now … state laws and executive orders restrict what businesses can do … And vaccinations are readily available. … In May, [Gov. Greg Abbott banned] government entities … from requiring masks…. Private businesses, though, are still allowed to require masks…. In an informal [recent] survey … about 70% of … respondents said they do not feel safe or are unsure if they feel safe attending public arts events…. The Dallas Symphony Orchestra was aiming to return to performances without requiring audiences to wear masks. Yet president and CEO Kim Noltemy said it looks like they will require masks…. Other venues, like the Dallas Museum of Art and the Kimbell Art Museum … are now strongly recommending that visitors wear masks…. The Dallas Symphony Orchestra is requiring its staff and musicians to be vaccinated before the start of the fall season, with exceptions for religious and medical reasons…. AT&T Performing Arts Center isn’t requiring vaccines from all performers and staff.”
