Met Opera to require booster shots starting mid-January

NEW YORK (AP) — The Metropolitan Opera is requiring audience and employees to receive COVID-19 booster shots for entry starting Jan. 17. The company said anyone not yet eligible to receive a booster shot will be allowed a two-week grace period after they become eligible. The Met was closed from March 2020 until September because of the pandemic, canceling 276 performances plus an international tour. It has drawn approximately 160,000 for its first 59 performances this season. Average capacity has been 73%; ticket distribution has been limited to 3,700, down from 4,000, with the first few rows and standing room not sold.