NEW YORK — Broadway will expand its COVID-19 vaccination requirement to include children ages 5 through 11 next week, in compliance with New York City’s “Key to NYC” guidelines. 

Theatergoers in that age group will be required to show proof of at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose starting Tuesday, Dec. 14, The Broadway League said in a press release Wednesday. 

Young attendees must be accompanied by a fully vaccinated adult, the release said. All 41 Broadway theaters were already requiring proof of vaccination from theatergoers ages 12 and up.

“With safety and security top of mind, we continue to stress the unrelenting desire that we have to keep our theatergoers, cast and crew safe,” The Broadway League President Charlotte St. Martin said in a statement. 

“As of Sunday, Dec. 5, we surpassed attendance with over two million theatergoers and completed over 2,000 performances,” she added. “We believe that our focus on safety has helped us achieve this milestone.”

The Broadway League announced its initial vaccine requirement at the end of July.

Masks will continue to be required inside theaters, ”except while actively eating or drinking in designated locations," the League noted.