Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Burning Man Mulling Mandatory COVID-19 Vaccines for August Event
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 4 years ago on
April 21, 2021

Share

RENO, Nev. — Burning Man organizers have said that they are considering requiring attendees to prove they have been vaccinated for COVID-19 if the organizers move forward with plans to hold this year’s counter-culture festival in the Nevada desert.

The organizers backed off an earlier statement indicating that they had already decided to make the shots mandatory. They say they won’t decide for sure until the end of the month whether the event that was canceled last year because of the pandemic will take place this summer.

CEO Retracts Mandatory Vaccination Statement After Backlash

Burning Man CEO Marian Goodell said in a video message posted on the group’s web site on April 8 that “vaccines will be required to come to Burning Man.” She erroneously said at that time that the state of Nevada requires that people have proof of vaccination at large gatherings.

She acknowledged last weekend in an updated statement on the group’s web site that she “misspoke.”

Citing a backlash from many long-time attendees at the annual event that draws more than 80,000 people to the Black Rock Desert about 100 miles north of Reno, Goodell clarified that organizers had been formulating their own guidelines on mandatory vaccinations as part of the health and safety plan they must submit to state and county officials.

“We are weighing the gravity of what that does,” Goodell said. “And we know that challenges the concept of `radical inclusion.’”

She said civic responsibility is an important part of organizers’ guiding principles but that they realize people in some countries haven’t had access to vaccines, nor have most children.

“That’s not quite figured out yet. There are plenty of people that are challenging whether it is necessary,” she said.

Goodell says Decision to be Made by April 30

Goodell added: “We hear you. The question of vaccines and how to basically require them, and even from a logistical standing, frankly — all of that, we’re taking a look at.”

Goodell said organizers also have not decided whether to require or provide testing at the event.

She said they hope to reach a decision by the end of this week and at the latest by April 30.

“At this point, the government agencies involved in collaborating with us have been really super supportive and super helpful. They are not putting up any roadblocks. We are all looking at the resources to have to make it happen and get this done,” Goodell said.

Goodell said the application organizers must submit for a special use permit to the U.S. Bureau of Land Management by April 23 seeks an attendance cap of 69,000, down from the 80,000 cap approved for some past festivals.

She said current input from leaders of the largest theme camps indicate about 20% to 30% so far are committed to returning to the playa in August, which would suggest overall attendance in the range of 60,000 to 65,000.

DON'T MISS

Supreme Court Sides With the FDA in Its Dispute Over Sweet-Flavored Vaping Products

DON'T MISS

Trump Announces Sweeping New Tariffs to Promote US Manufacturing, Risking Inflation and Trade Wars

DON'T MISS

Fresno Firefighters Save Dog From Canal and Now She’s Ready for Adoption

DON'T MISS

Big Brands Spend Just Enough on X to Avoid Musk’s ‘Naughty List’

DON'T MISS

Judge Dismisses Corruption Case Against New York City Mayor Eric Adams

DON'T MISS

State Center Trustees Render Split Decision on Future of PLAs

DON'T MISS

California’s Schools Chief Has a $200,000 Salary and a Side Gig

DON'T MISS

Why Project Labor Agreements Are Good for Our Schools and Students: Opinion

DON'T MISS

Trump Proposes Tax Deduction for Auto Loan Interest on US-Made Cars

DON'T MISS

Western US Sees Sharp Increase in Extreme Weather Impact

UP NEXT

Conservative Pundit, ex-Secret Service Agent Dan Bongino Picked as FBI Deputy Director

UP NEXT

Judge Blocks Trump’s Immigration Policy Allowing Church Arrests

UP NEXT

Trump Backs Musk as He Hits Federal Workers With Demands and Threats

UP NEXT

53% Approve of Trump’s Job Performance Amid Economic Concerns

UP NEXT

Protests Planned in All 50 States for Presidents’ Day Against Trump Administration

UP NEXT

This Isn’t the Donald Trump America Elected

UP NEXT

Where Will Californians Rally During Nationwide Protest Against Trump Administration?

UP NEXT

Protests in All 50 States Against Trump’s Administration on Wednesday

UP NEXT

Elon Musk’s DOGE Gains Access to Social Security, Medicare Payments

UP NEXT

California Projected to Lose Congressional Seats While Texas, Florida Gain

Big Brands Spend Just Enough on X to Avoid Musk’s ‘Naughty List’

4 hours ago

Judge Dismisses Corruption Case Against New York City Mayor Eric Adams

4 hours ago

State Center Trustees Render Split Decision on Future of PLAs

4 hours ago

California’s Schools Chief Has a $200,000 Salary and a Side Gig

5 hours ago

Why Project Labor Agreements Are Good for Our Schools and Students: Opinion

5 hours ago

Trump Proposes Tax Deduction for Auto Loan Interest on US-Made Cars

6 hours ago

Western US Sees Sharp Increase in Extreme Weather Impact

6 hours ago

Amazon Said to Make a Bid to Buy TikTok in the US

6 hours ago

Fresno Man Found Dead, Coroner’s Office Seeks Help Finding Family

6 hours ago

The ‘Six’ Wives of King Henry VIII Sing Their Hearts Out in Fresno

6 hours ago

Supreme Court Sides With the FDA in Its Dispute Over Sweet-Flavored Vaping Products

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled for the Food and Drug Administration in its crackdown on sweet-flavored vaping products fo...

3 hours ago

3 hours ago

Supreme Court Sides With the FDA in Its Dispute Over Sweet-Flavored Vaping Products

3 hours ago

Trump Announces Sweeping New Tariffs to Promote US Manufacturing, Risking Inflation and Trade Wars

A young Labrador mix rescued from a Fresno canal on Sunday, March 2, 2025, is thriving in a foster home after overcoming fear and trauma. (Instagram/Fresno Animal Center)
4 hours ago

Fresno Firefighters Save Dog From Canal and Now She’s Ready for Adoption

4 hours ago

Big Brands Spend Just Enough on X to Avoid Musk’s ‘Naughty List’

4 hours ago

Judge Dismisses Corruption Case Against New York City Mayor Eric Adams

4 hours ago

State Center Trustees Render Split Decision on Future of PLAs

5 hours ago

California’s Schools Chief Has a $200,000 Salary and a Side Gig

West Fresno satellite campus of Fresno City College
5 hours ago

Why Project Labor Agreements Are Good for Our Schools and Students: Opinion

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend