#Fauci says Broadway will see a ‘gradual return to normal’ through 2021

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Broadway theaters stand closed along an empty street in the theater district in New York City.
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The future of Broadway is looking a bit brighter after some reassuring words from Dr. Anthony Fauci on Sunday.

Fauci, the top infectious disease specialist at the US Centers for Disease Control, reportedly told Evan Roider, a musical director for the national tour of “Wicked,” that theaters will see a “gradual return to normal” throughout 2020 and 2021.

The comments were slightly different than last week when Fauci said the safety of theaters could be compromised for a year or more as the novel coronavirus continues to ravage the country.

Roider had reached out to Fauci asking for any indication of when theatre would be returning. He wrote in a now-viral Facebook post that he did not expect a response — but Fauci did write back with a thoughtful take on the situation.

“Depending on the level of infection in a state/city/community, I can see opening of theaters with attention to varying degrees of masking, reduced capacity, and attention to other public health issues,” Fauci wrote.

“As vaccines control the virus more and more, we can foresee a significant lessening of restrictive public health measures so that we gradually approach true ‘normal’ as we get through 2021.”

Broadway has been shut down for nearly six months since the coronavirus hit New York back in early March. As of now, productions are set to resume Jan. 3 with various shows reopening throughout the month.

London’s West End announced Monday that they will resume productions in October on a rolling basis with enforced social-distanced and reduced capacity guidelines.