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."

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. Visit http://www.stagecoachfestival.com\u00a0 for more infopic.twitter.com/wy4VzOTPBU
— Stagecoach Festival (@Stagecoach Festival) 1644949921

Thousands of fans ignore COVID rules to converge at LA Staples Center following Lakers' championship win; many target cops during chaos



A massive horde of NBA fans took to the streets of Los Angeles after the Los Angeles Lakers won the NBA title. The Lakers won 106-93 over the Miami Heat in Game 6 of the finals on Sunday night.

What are the details?

KABC-TV reported that thousands of people showed up on Figueroa Street outside Los Angeles' Staples Center, and some of them targeted police officers and their cruisers as officers were forced to declare the scene an unlawful assembly.

Days ahead of the Lakers' win, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti directed citizens to stay off of the streets due to COVID-19 restrictions.

On Friday, Garcetti said that NBA fans should not congregate on the streets during or after the game — which took place at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex near Orlando, Florida — either to celebrate a win or lament a loss.

"I encourage you to yell at the top of your lungs inside your homes, maybe even open up the window or step outside your door as we've done for our first responders and essential medical workers to thank them," Garcetti said. "Let's thank the Lakers when they win, but let's do it safe."

Garcetti also warned that disregarding his advice could sabotage "all the progress we have made in our fight against COVID-19."

"LAPD went into tactical alert and declared the gathering an unlawful assembly," KABC reported. "Cars were seen performing 'donuts' and 'burnouts,' some cars were swarmed by fans in the streets."

The report continued, "Multiple fireworks were set off and there were isolated reports of small groups throwing rocks and bottles at police."

The station noted that local police and California Highway Patrol officers shut down ramps leading to the downtown area during the melee.

Bleacher Report on Monday noted that many of the fans "began throwing beer bottles and other 'projectiles' at uniformed police officers that swarmed the area."

"The few isolated incidents soon grew to a large mob of sports fans which soon made their way down the streets of Los Angeles turning over police cars and breaking into local businesses," the outlet reported. "Some innocent bystanders became injured in the incident as the hoard [sic] came rushing down the streets."

The outlet added that police arrived on the scene en masse "with riot gear and shots of tear gas which were thrown into the mass of hysterical fans."

The Daily Mail also reported that "witnesses told the Los Angeles Times that officers also fired 'beanbag rounds' at one point, which sent some people running."

Lakers fans trashing police cars https://t.co/Koi9Rk5jvr
— NBA Central (@NBA Central)1602473794.0

(H/T: The Daily Wire)