(MENAFN-AFP)

The Metropolitan Opera in New York City said on Wednesday it would require all musicians and the public to receive a booster dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, as the contagious variant of Omicron spreads.

With 3,000 people employed every day, from the orchestra to the technical teams, “our population is far larger than any other non-profit arts organization in the country, which is why we need to be at the forefront of the game. health and safety. “said Peter Gelb, Managing Director of The Met.

The opera house had to close for a year and a half due to the pandemic, which hit New York City hard and early. This put the prestigious institution in financial difficulty, and it had to engage in protracted negotiations with the workers to agree on wage cuts.

The opera house in Manhattan’s Lincoln Center had previously imposed vaccination warrants on workers and the general public for its reopening on September 27.

Since then, 160,000 spectators have attended 59 performances.

The booster dose will be required from January 17 for those who are eligible, i.e. those who received their second injection of Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, or an injection of Johnson & Johnson, at least there is six months.

“We want everyone who walks into our opera house to feel safe,” Gelb said.

“Those who are not yet eligible will be able to continue to participate, but must receive the reminder shortly after becoming eligible,” the Met said in a statement.

The Met said it was following recommendations from the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC), which predict an increase in infections due to the spread of the Omicron variant.

The announcement came as the death toll from Covid-19 in the United States exceeded 800,000. In New York City, 71 people have died in the previous 24 hours, according to official figures.

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