No, Ticketmaster Won't Actually Require Fans to Get a COVID-19 Vaccine
Ticketmaster says it won't require fans to prove they've had a vaccine or a negative COVID-19 test before attending concerts, according to the BBC. The statement from the ticket giant comes after false reports of such a mandate began circulating online.
The suggestion that Ticketmaster might require such proof of fans was first reported by Billboard on Nov. 11. The website wrote that Ticketmaster was looking into a screening system that would have attendees get a COVID-19 test 24 to 48 hours before an event. Once the results were processed by a lab, that information would be sent to a third-party health information company that would then verify to Ticketmaster if an attendee is “cleared” to attend the event.
An attendee could also be cleared by providing evidence of a COVID-19 vaccination through the Ticketmaster app.
Ticketmaster president Mark Yovich was quoted in the Billboard story, saying, “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."
Though Billboard's story explored the possibility of such a process, the headline to the piece read "How Ticketmaster Plans to Check Your Vaccine Status for Concerts," likely leading to some misunderstanding. That being said, other news outlets (and subsequent social media users) claimed the proposed process was underway.
In a statement to BBC, Ticketmaster said that while it is exploring such an idea, there will be "absolutely no requirement" for mandated vaccines. The ticket giant clarified that entry requirements are up to event organizers and local health officials.
"We are not forcing anyone to do anything," Ticketmaster said in the statement. "Ticketmaster does not have the power to set policies around safety and entry requirements, which would include vaccines and/or testing protocols.”
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