Ticketmaster Announces Plan to Check Coronavirus Vaccine Statuses Before Concerts

In the wake of news that a coronavirus vaccine with a 90% efficacy rate on an initial trial is in development from pharmaceutical company Pfizer, Ticketmaster has announced a plan to check concertgoers’ vaccine statuses prior to attending concerts, Billboard reports.

The proposed system involves using Ticketmaster’s digital ticket app, which will collect information from third-party health information companies (such as IBM’s Digital Health Pass or CLEAR Health Pass) and testing and vaccine distribution providers (such as Labcorp or the CVS Minute Clinic). The goal is to ensure safety by verifying fans’ vaccination status or whether they’ve tested negative for COVID-19 within a 24-to-72-hour window.

Ticketmaster has also developed digital ticketing linked to ticket buyers’ identities, as well as a SmartEvent system to help enforce social distancing, delayed entry, and contact tracing. Event organizers will be able to set specific prevention protocols, including sanitation, mask compliance, and social distancing. The company has made it clear that any health information would be stored with third party health care providers under HIPPA compliance and not with Ticketmaster.

A concrete timeline for the vaccine’s widespread availability, which will reportedly be free of charge to the American public, is currently unclear. When reached for comment, Ticketmaster President Mark Yovich told Pitchfork:

We imagine there will be many third-party health care providers handling 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’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.

Pitchfork has also reached out to representatives for Live Nation Entertainment regarding potential fees related to Ticketmaster’s COVID-19 vaccine status policy.

Scientists in Germany recently released the findings from their experiment on transmission of the coronavirus at concerts. The study, which has not been peer reviewed, found that the risk of spreading coronavirus at indoor concerts is “low to very low,” as long as concertgoers follow hygiene protocols and the venue has good ventilation and limits capacity.