People could be asked to prove they’ve had Covid vaccine to get into sports events and concerts
Pfizer virus drug raises hopes entertainment venues will re-open in 2021
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Ticketmaster could allow venues to ask people to prove they've had the coronavirus vaccine to get into sports events and concerts.
Drug company Pfizer announced earlier this week that early data shows their vaccine is 90 per cent effective raising hopes that venues will be able to start hosting events again in 2021.
Ticketmaster says it has been working on a post-pandemic plan that could use fans’ phones to verify their vaccination status or confirm they have tested negative before an event.
The company says the plan would be based on their own ticket app, third party health information firms and vaccine distribution providers.
This plan is still in development and will be up to event operators, not required by Ticketmaster, the company stated.
After buying a ticket fans would need to prove they had been vaccinated or tested negative 24 to 72 hours prior to the event, according to billboard.com.
The length of time a negative test would cover could eventually be determined by local authorities, with fans testing in the window before the event.
The test results could then be delivered to a health pass company, such as CLEAR or IBM, and if they are negative or vaccinated the fan would be verified to Ticketmaster and issued event credentials.
If a fan tested positive or did not verify vaccination they would not be allowed access to the event.
Ticketmaster tickets a vast majority of sporting events in the US, in addition to concert venues and Live Nation owned properties.
The company says it will not store of have access to medical records and would only receive verification for attendance on a specific date.
The Food and Drug Administration has not yet approved third party companies to deliver vaccination results.
But Ticketmaster president Mark Yovich says he expects that to become a crucial component for employers, air travel and the entertainment industry.
“We’re already seeing many third-party health care providers prepare to handle the vetting, whether that is getting a vaccine, taking a test, or other methods of review and approval, which could then be linked via a digital ticket so everyone entering the event is verified,” Mr Yovich told Billboard.
“Ticketmaster’s goal is to provide enough flexibility and options that venues and fans have multiple paths to return to events.
“We will look to tap into the top solutions based on what’s green-lit by officials and desired by clients.”
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments