Ticketmaster plans to check for COVID-19 vaccine status
Posted November 11, 2020 8:11 pm.
Last Updated November 11, 2020 8:43 pm.
Remember concerts?
Like many things in 2020, going to crowded live shows has become a thing of distant memory.
With some promising news this week of a potential COVID-19 vaccine on the horizon, concertgoers are likely licking their chops.
RELATED: City forms immunization task force preparing for massive distribution of COVID-19 vaccine
Well, things may not be as simple as buying your ticket and showing up to the venue. Whether or not you’ve received a COVID-19 vaccine could stand between you and your favourite band.
Ticketmaster has confirmed that they are working on a system that will use smart phones to verify a customers COVID status, including if they’ve been vaccinated.
The ticket distributor is currently exploring and planning to develop the system that will sync digital tickets with information from third party healthcare providers.
The provided information from the health care providers will include the customers COVID-19 vaccine status and test results.
“We imagine there will be many third-party health care providers handling vetting,” says Ticketmaster President Mark Yovich in a statement. “Whether that is getting a vaccine, taking a test, or other methods of review and approval – which could then be linked via a digital ticket so everyone entering the event is verified.”
Ticketmaster says that any and all of the health information and verification will be handled and set up by regional health officials. The company says they will not store any of the health information themselves.
They also say the decision to use the new verification system will be left up to event organizers and therefore will not necessarily apply to all tickets bought through the distributor.
“(Our) goal is to provide enough flexibility and options that venues and fans have mutliple paths to return to events,” says Yovich.
The new framework is still being developed and the company hopes to make it available as regulations are approved.
The new framework is in addition to Ticketmaster’s recently announced SmartEvent suite. Which is a list of solutions that will work to ensure concertgoers safety. This includes proper spacing at events as well as contactless customer service.
