New York City no longer requires masks to be worn at the Metropolitan Opera, the Philharmonic, Carnegie Hall and other popular venues

Masks are no longer required in NYC schools, gyms, taxis and most theaters. But an evening at the opera or ballet still involves wearing a proper face covering. But that's about to change, says New York Times.

Several of the city's leading performing arts organizations, including the Metropolitan Opera, Carnegie Hall, the New York Philharmonic and the New York City Ballet, announced on September 17 that masks would now be optional. They cite viewer demands and the decline in coronavirus cases.

“It's time to move on,” said Peter Gelb, general manager of The Met.

On the subject: COVID-9 flares up again in 19 New York counties: masks are again recommended to their residents

The Met, Carnegie Hall and the Philharmonic will lift mask requirements on October 24. Also from this day on, masks will not be required to watch films at Lincoln Center and Juilliard School. The David H. Koch Theatre, home of the City Ballet, will join them on November 1st. Two venues on the Lincoln Center campus, the Mitzi E. Newhouse and Claire Tow theaters, will retain their mandates.

This decision is a milestone for classical, dance and opera venues.

They were among the most resistant to mitigating mask rules, for fear of alienating older patrons. And they make up a significant proportion of ticket buyers. As masks have disappeared from many other places, art groups are under pressure from viewers to change.

At the Met, only about a quarter of ticket buyers in a recent poll said they would feel uncomfortable attending a performance without masks. In summer, this number was close to 70%.

“People's attitudes are changing,” Gelb said. He expressed his hope that easing the rules will help make the Met accessible to younger audiences who don't want to wear masks. With the mandate lifted, the company will also reopen its bars. Many of them have remained closed since the pandemic.

Vaccination confirmation and wearing a mask have been required to enter many venues since last year.

It was then that artistic organizations returned to the stage after a long break. However, during the summer, as hospitalizations and deaths dropped, many groups began to relax their rules. Broadway theaters have (with rare exceptions) lifted the vaccination requirement on May 1st and the mask mandate on July 1st.

At the Metropolitan Opera, before each performance, there are announcements about the need to wear masks. At Carnegie Hall, ushers checked every row and escorted people out without masks.

Clive Gillinson, Carnegie's executive and artistic director, said the hall kept masking rules this fall due to concerns about the virus. But he decided to make the change after medical consultants said it was safe to work without masks.

“It was actually quite difficult for the ticket attendants. Many people were annoyed by the need to wear masks in the hall, when they are no longer needed almost everywhere, ”Gillinson said in an interview.

By eliminating mask rules, artists hope they can help restore the halls to fullness.

While live performances are flourishing again in New York, audiences are slowly returning.

Deborah Borda, president and chief executive of the Philharmonic, said the rules for wearing masks could change. Provided that the virus becomes a deadly threat again.

“It's a constantly changing situation,” she said. “We will stick to what the current medical protocol dictates. We consider it important to do our part to help the city return to normal. And encourage people to come back to the city and revive the economy.”