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California's Coachella returns following 2-year COVID-19 hiatus, will have no mask or vaccine requirements to attend massive festival
Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for Coachella

California's Coachella returns following 2-year COVID-19 hiatus, will have no mask or vaccine requirements to attend massive festival

Coachella, the outdoor music and arts festival held in Indio, California, will return in April after a two-year COVID-19 hiatus — and without mask and vaccine requirements.

Organizers on Tuesday also said that festivalgoers will also not have to test for COVID-19 ahead of the big event.

Headliners this year include Kanye West, Billie Eilish, and Harry Styles.

What are the details?

A portion of the Coachella website says, "There is no guarantee, express or implied, that those attending the festival will not be exposed to Covid-19."

"All attendees agree to follow festival policies (including health and safety policies) and posted instructions while at the festival," organizer guidance continues. "According to the CDC, older adults and people of all ages with serious underlying medical conditions may be at higher risk of death or severe illness from COVID-19. All attendees should evaluate their risk in determining whether to attend the festival."

Organizers added that the COVID-19 policies may be subject to change "in accordance with applicable public health conditions."

The California Department of Public Health recently issued updated guidelines stating that proof of vaccination will no longer be required for large outdoor events.

The annual festival in the past has drawn crowds of nearly 125,000 people per day over a period of two weekends, the New York Times reported on Tuesday, making it one of the biggest music festivals of the pre-pandemic era.

The outlet pointed out that the Lollapalooza music festival in Chicago, Illinois, ran at full capacity for four days in 2021's summer and drew crowds of 400,000. Attendees at the time were required to show either proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test. Infection rates, however, in the days and weeks following the outdoor festival were said to be "very low" at the time.

What else?

A spokesperson for the Stagecoach festival — a country music festival that also takes place in Indio later in April — announced that it, too, will no longer have any COVID-19-related mandates for entry, NBC News reported on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, the Stagecoach Twitter account tweeted, "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."

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