Ticketmaster looking at requiring a negative coronavirus test or proof of COVID-19 vaccine for concert goers when music events start back up amid pandemic.
“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,” Ticketmaster president Mark Yovich told Billboard in a piece published Wednesday. (RELATED: Superstar Rapper Cancels Fourth Of July Concert In Texas Following Backlash During Pandemic: ‘We Do Take It Serious’)
Exclusive: How Ticketmaster plans to check your vaccine status for concerts https://t.co/A0wEC1uxbO
— billboard (@billboard) November 11, 2020
“Ticketmaster’s goal is to provide enough flexibility and options that venues and fans have multiple paths to return to events, and is working to create integrations to our API and leading digital ticketing technology as we will look to tap into the top solutions based on what’s green-lit by officials and desired by clients,” he added. (RELATED: Garth Brooks And Trisha Yearwood Postpone Concert After ‘Possibly’ Being Exposed To ‘COVID-19’)
Should events start again in 2021, a concert attendee would first purchase a ticket for an event then they would need to provide proof they’ve already been vaccinated or proof that they’ve had a negative coronavirus test within 24 to 72 hours prior to the start of the show, depending on regional health authorities.
According to the report:
Once the test was complete, the fan would instruct the lab to deliver the results to their health pass company, like CLEAR or IBM. If the tests were negative, or the fan was vaccinated, the health pass company would verify the attendee’s COVID-19 status to Ticketmaster, which would then issue the fan the credentials needed to access the event.
However, if a fan didn’t take a test or that test came back positive, they wouldn’t be given access to attend the concert. The plan is still in the developmental phase but the goal is to prevent any kind of onsite testing on the day of the show.
Ticketmaster shared that this system would not give them access to concert goers personal health records or allow the company to store a fan’s medical records.
“In order for live events to return, technology and science are going to play huge roles in establishing integrated protocols so that fans, artists, and employees feel safe returning to venues,” Marianne Herman, co-founder and principal reBUILD20, which helps entertainment and live events companies develop coronavirus strategies, shared.