Proof of COVID-19 vaccination or a negative test for the disease is no longer required for those attending shows at the Grand Theater in Wausau.
You'll still be required to mask up, but they won't be asking about your vaccine status.
“We feel like it’s a nice balance of access for the community and safety”, said Facility Director Sean Wright.
He says the decision comes thanks to data from local health officials and producers of the touring shows they bring in.
“In conversation with the producers who bring shows here, the consensus with us and our producers and our users was that it was time for us to drop that restriction.”
Wright says many of the venue's patrons understand that they have to make these decisions to protect others including the traveling performers and crew.
“Even the people who appreciated the health and safety protocols we put into place. A number of them said to me thank you for doing this, but I hope we don’t have to do this much longer”
Wright says he will continue to evaluate the situation and tweak the protocols if needed, with the goal of bringing back the audience experience as it was in January 2020.
“I think we all have the same goal, which is to get back to a more normal experience for audiences and artists alike”.
Wright says some touring acts may have their own, stricter protocols, though that's not the case for any of the shows currently on the calendar.