Coachella and Stagecoach to drop all COVID precautions and vaccination requirements
Both festivals are slated to return this year after being cancelled for two years due to the pandemic.
Image: Coachella
Organisers for the 2022 Coachella and Stagecoach music festivals will no longer require negative COVID tests or proof of vaccination from attendees.
Stagecoach announced in a tweet on Tuesday that admission rules have been updated to reflect “local guidelines” that do not require vaccination, testing or masking.
Festival Admission Update: As we prepare to spend an incredible weekend in the desert together we are announcing that there will be no vaccination, testing or masking requirements at Stagecoach 2022, in accordance with local guidelines. Visit https://t.co/mSx3KWeASg for more info pic.twitter.com/wy4VzOTPBU
— Stagecoach Festival (@Stagecoach) February 15, 2022
The Health & Safety page on the festival’s website further explains that there is an inherent and elevated risk of exposure to COVID-19 in any public or crowded place and that attendees who attend the festival voluntarily assume all risks related to COVID-19 exposure.
“All attendees should evaluate their risk in determining whether to attend the festival,” the site reads, noting that those who have been exposed to COVID-19 should adhere to local quarantine mandates and CDC quarantine requirements.
The same safety guidelines are outlined on Coachella’s website, though the festival did not post about the removal of COVID-19-related precautions on its social media accounts.
Both festivals also noted that whatever COVID policies currently in place are subjected to changes “in accordance with applicable public health conditions.”
At present, California’s Department of Public Health “strongly recommends” verification of “fully vaccinated status” or pre-entry negative Covid test results for attendees at outdoor mega events with more than 5,000 people.
The Coachella Music and Arts Festival — which typically draws up to 125,000 fans a day — is scheduled to take place over two weekends (15-17 April and 22-24 April) with headliners Billie Eilish, Harry Styles and Ye.
Stagecoach, which is scheduled for 29 April to 1 May, will see headlining performances from Thomas Rhett, Carrie Underwood and Luke Combs.
