There are still many who are question why they should get the COVID vaccine. And there are still too many vaccine deniers out there. If you qualify (you don’t have underlying medical issues where a medical doctor has advised against getting the jab), please get tested and please take the vaccine as soon as you can.

Our musicians are very much at risk because they play in front of audiences that have not been masking and in a lot of cases, have not been vaccinated.

Vocalist Gregg Martinez’s latest newsletter contains a plea for music fans to get vaccinated:

“I would like to deviate from music news right now and talk about a polarizing current issue in our midst, which is something I never do but feel compelled to do so now. We are in the midst of yet another surge in Covid cases and hospitalizations, and Louisiana leads the nation. Last week a 45 year old young man from my hometown of Carencro died. One of my close friends and classmate’s precious wife just entered a rehab facility after nearly two months in ICU with Covid pneumonia. They were both unvaccinated. There are those out there who are anti-vax and will never get it, which is their right. But those of you out there who have been hesitant, skeptical, on the fence or in the middle, however you wish to describe it, I implore you to get the vaccine for yourself and for the sake of everyone else, including your own families and loved ones. I understand that it’s a matter of trust—and I don’t trust CNN, or Fox News, or any politician, and especially not social media, but I do trust highly respected physicians who overwhelmingly say it is safe and by far the best way to end this pandemic.

“I’ve said from the beginning that I would get a shot every day if it meant we could get back to normalcy. From the music profession point of view, if the events of the Fall are canceled again, and it continues into the spring, that would be three years of no Jazzfest, French Quarter Fest, Festival International, just to name a few. If that happens many events would never come back. For a guy my age, it could mean my career would essentially be over.”

Well said, Gregg. This could be true for most of our musicians as well.

If you are physically able to get the vaccine, please do not hesitate. Not only your health may be on the line, but those of the entire community. But it goes further than that: if we can’t stop the delta variant, or the other potential COVID virus mutations that will surely arise because people are not vaccinated, our entire music and cultural infrastructure, in fact our entire planet, could be in danger.

We encourage everyone, including all musicians, to be vaccinated as soon as possible. Musicians, your voices are needed to encourage more of your colleagues and fans to get the vaccination. If you would like to include your voice, please comment below, or let us know so we can record your message to others and post it on OffBeat.com or our social media.

Thank you for having the empathy and responsibility to get the vaccine to protect our musicians and all of us!