Broadway Usher Tests Positive for Coronavirus

An usher who worked at two Broadway theaters in New York City recently tested positive for coronavirus, The New York Times reports. The diagnosis has reportedly prompted a rush to clean the buildings and inform the public, as 31 musicals and plays are currently open. The usher reportedly worked at the revival of “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” at the 766-seat Booth Theater and performances of “Six,” a new musical about the wives of Henry VIII, at the 1,031-seat Brooks Atkinson Theater. The usher is now quarantined, but it's unclear when their symptoms began showing. Their current medical condition is also unclear. Both shows are scheduled to go on Wednesday night, and the Shubert Organization—which operates the Booth Theater—reportedly deep-cleaned the building.

In a statement, The Broadway League—the national trade association for the Broadway industry, created in 1930—told The Daily Beast: “The Booth and the Brooks Atkinson theatres have been cleaned from top to bottom and the shows are performing tonight along with all other productions. Enhanced cleaning procedures have been in place for two weeks. What’s important to note is that the theatre owners responded immediately to this information and had the theatres cleaned by the largest outside contractor in the cleaning business. We will always modify our procedures if we learn of new things we should be doing.”