Music Center To Require All Guests To Have COVID Booster Shots

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) – Beginning in mid-January, the Music Center complex in downtown Los Angeles will require all guests attending shows at one of its venues to be vaccinated with the COVID-19 booster, it announced Wednesday.

The Music Center -- which includes The Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, the Ahmanson Theatre, the Mark Taper Forum, Walt Disney Concert Hall and the Roy and Edna Disney/Calarts Theater -- announced that, beginning Jan. 17, all guests will have to show proof of a booster shot to attend performances in one of its venues.

This comes after the Ahmanson Theatre Tuesday was forced to cancel all remaining performances of "A Christmas Carol" due to multiple cases of COVID-19 among members of the company.

The Music Center also nixed the live audience for the 62nd annual Los Angeles County Holiday Celebration. scheduled for Christmas Eve at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.

According to The Music Center, the policy "is in line with its commitment both to safety and the importance of creating a welcoming, inclusive environment for all who visit the campus."

Center officials said audience members who are eligible for the booster but have been unable to get one will likely be given a "one-month grace period."

The Music Center's policy allows people without a booster to show proof of a negative PCR test within 48 hours of the event or a rapid test within 24 hours. At-home tests will not be accepted. But the testing option could vary by event depending on the production company. Vaccination policies published by the LA Philharmonic and Master Chorale make no mention of a testing option for audience members.

The Music Center policy will also apply to all staff and vendors accessing building on the campus, including The Music Center Annex and Grand Park offices.

(© Copyright 2021 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. City News Service contributed to this report.)