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

Trump Taps Forceful Ally of Hard-Line Immigration Policies to Head Customs and Border Protection

DON'T MISS

I’m One of the Last Doctors in This Hospital in Gaza. I’m Begging the World for Help.

DON'T MISS

Is This the End of Christmas Cards? 5 Creative Ways to Spread Holiday Cheer Without the Mailbox

DON'T MISS

The Best Movies of 2024 as Ranked by AP Film Writers

DON'T MISS

Californians Pay Billions for Power Companies’ Wildfire Prevention Efforts. Are They Cost-Effective?

DON'T MISS

California’s Housing Crisis Has Gotten Worse, Not Better, Over the Last 30 Years

DON'T MISS

No. 10 Boise State Grabs CFP Spot, Beating No. 19 UNLV 21-7 in Mountain West Championship

DON'T MISS

Willy Adames Agrees to $182 Million, 7-Year Deal With the Giants, AP Source Says

DON'T MISS

$197M Winning Lottery Ticket Bought in L.A. Must Be Postmarked Today or Forfeited

DON'T MISS

US Announces Nearly $1 Billion More in Longer-Term Weapons Support for Ukraine

UP NEXT

FBI Offers $50,000 Reward in Hunt for UnitedHealthcare CEO’s Killer

UP NEXT

Supreme Court Will Decide if Palestinian Authorities Can Be Sued in US Over Middle East Attacks

UP NEXT

Judge Upholds Use of Race in Naval Academy Admissions, Saying a Diverse Military Is Stronger

UP NEXT

Hunt for the Gunman Who Killed UnitedHealthcare’s CEO Heads Into Third Day as New Clues Emerge

UP NEXT

Federal Appeals Court Upholds Law Requiring Sale or Ban of TikTok in the US

UP NEXT

NY Police Hunt for ‘Brazen’ Masked Killer of UnitedHealthcare CEO

UP NEXT

White House Says at Least 8 US Telecom Firms, Dozens of Nations Impacted by China Hacking Campaign

UP NEXT

Democrats Frustrated Over Joe Biden Reversing Course and Pardoning His Son

UP NEXT

More Than 3 Million Travelers Screened at US Airports in a Single Day. That’s a Record

UP NEXT

Heavy Snow Blankets Parts of the US During Busy Holiday Travel Weekend

The Best Movies of 2024 as Ranked by AP Film Writers

11 hours ago

Californians Pay Billions for Power Companies’ Wildfire Prevention Efforts. Are They Cost-Effective?

12 hours ago

California’s Housing Crisis Has Gotten Worse, Not Better, Over the Last 30 Years

12 hours ago

No. 10 Boise State Grabs CFP Spot, Beating No. 19 UNLV 21-7 in Mountain West Championship

1 day ago

Willy Adames Agrees to $182 Million, 7-Year Deal With the Giants, AP Source Says

1 day ago

$197M Winning Lottery Ticket Bought in L.A. Must Be Postmarked Today or Forfeited

1 day ago

US Announces Nearly $1 Billion More in Longer-Term Weapons Support for Ukraine

1 day ago

Police-Made Crack Cocaine Cases from 1980s Under Review in Florida

1 day ago

FBI Offers $50,000 Reward in Hunt for UnitedHealthcare CEO’s Killer

1 day ago

Syrian Insurgents Reach the Capital’s Suburbs. Worried Residents Flee and Stock Up on Supplies

1 day ago

Trump Taps Forceful Ally of Hard-Line Immigration Policies to Head Customs and Border Protection

WASHINGTON — The picture of who will be in charge of executing President-elect Donald Trump’s hard-line immigration and border policie...

9 hours ago

9 hours ago

Trump Taps Forceful Ally of Hard-Line Immigration Policies to Head Customs and Border Protection

10 hours ago

I’m One of the Last Doctors in This Hospital in Gaza. I’m Begging the World for Help.

11 hours ago

Is This the End of Christmas Cards? 5 Creative Ways to Spread Holiday Cheer Without the Mailbox

11 hours ago

The Best Movies of 2024 as Ranked by AP Film Writers

12 hours ago

Californians Pay Billions for Power Companies’ Wildfire Prevention Efforts. Are They Cost-Effective?

12 hours ago

California’s Housing Crisis Has Gotten Worse, Not Better, Over the Last 30 Years

1 day ago

No. 10 Boise State Grabs CFP Spot, Beating No. 19 UNLV 21-7 in Mountain West Championship

1 day ago

Willy Adames Agrees to $182 Million, 7-Year Deal With the Giants, AP Source Says

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

Search

Send this to a friend