Some progress has been made. The San Francisco Symphony STRONGLY recommends masks (all caps) but they are not required. In practice around 5-7 percent of audience members at a recent concert were wearing them. San Francisco Performances followed, dropping both mask and vaccine passport requirements early in 2023. The San Francisco Opera will lift covid protocols for the 2023 season.

However, some other organizations, such as Philharmonia Baroque and Cal Performances have only recently dropped vaccination passports and are still requiring masks. Natalya Murakvur has reported a similar mixed bag for New York City. …

The arguments against masks are they do not work, and they are harmful. You may believe that there is some scientific evidence of mask effectiveness, probably because the media and public health officials endlessly repeat that “masks stop the spread.” This is simply not true. Unfortunately, public health officials have engaged in a massive gaslighting operation.