The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and Ford’s Theatre in Washington D.C. have announced that they will require that all audience members be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

The theaters announced that the new policy will also include a vaccine mandate for all artists, staff, ushers, and volunteers.

Kennedy Center President Deborah F. Rutter said, “Our audiences have stuck by us with great solidarity over these last many months. As we welcome them back to the Kennedy Center and enjoy live performances once again, it is also our duty to ensure our patrons’ health and security, as well as the safety of our performers and staff. Working together we can get back to what we love—the arts—but we must reopen cautiously and responsibly. These new measures will reduce risk and help all arts venues maintain the forward momentum we are feeling right now.”

Meanwhile, Ford’s Theatre Director Paul R. Tetreault added, “We have longed for the day we can safely gather again to create art, and to draw in our audiences with visceral, thought-provoking and dazzling moments of live performance. These requirements for vaccination and masking are an added assurance of our commitment to the safety and wellness of our theater patrons—necessary temporary measures to protect our community from contracting and spreading COVID-19.”

The new policy will begin on Sept. 1, 2021, and patrons will be required to show a government-issued photo ID and proof of full vaccination against COVID-19 to attend all indoor performances and events at the Kennedy Center and Ford’s Theatre. Audience members will also be required to wear a mask inside regardless of vaccination status, except while eating and drinking in authorized areas.

Audience members will be able to display proof of vaccine either on a smartphone or by showing a physical copy of the vaccination card or official vaccination record. A “Fully vaccinated” person means that 14 days have passed since either the second shot of a CDC or WHO-approved two-shot vaccine or since the administration of a CDC or WHO-approved one-shot vaccine.

Both venues have also announced exceptions for children under 12 years of age or for patrons with a medical condition or closely-held religious belief that prevents vaccination. Those patrons will need to show a negative COVID-19 test.

The new policy will be re-evaluated on a monthly basis at the Kennedy Center while at the Ford Theatre it will expire on Oct. 31, 2021.