Gene Simmons.Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty
Just days after bandmatePaul Stanley tested positive for COVID-19, KISS rockerGene Simmonshas done the same, prompting the band to postpone four Midwest shows.
KISS announced on Tuesday that its next four tour dates will be pushed back, as Simmons, 72, hastested positive for the virusand is experiencing “mild” symptoms.
“While Paul Stanley recently tweeted that he has recovered from COVID, Gene Simmons has now tested positive and is experiencing mild symptoms,” the band said in a statement. “The band and crew will remain at home and isolate for the next 10 days and doctors have indicated the tour should be able to resume on September 9th at FivePoint Amphitheatre in Irvine, CA.”
Everyone on KISS' End of the Road World Tour, including the band and their crew members, is fully vaccinated, according to a previousstatement.
The postponed shows were set to take place on Sept. 1 in Clarkston, Michigan, Sept. 2 in Dayton, Ohio, Sept. 4 in Tinley Park, Illinois and Sept. 5 in Milwaukee.
The “I Was Made for Lovin' You” rockers were previously forced tocancel their Aug. 26 showin Burgettstown, Pennsylvania after Stanley, 69, tested positive.
The singerreassured fans that he was “fine"and had not been hospitalized, but said he was suffering"flu-like symptoms"before finally testing positive.
On Monday, he revealed that he is fully recovered — but that the virus did a number on him.
“My COVID symptoms were MILD compared to many others and let me tell you… It kicked my ass,” Stanley wrote on Twitter. “It’s over now.”
Simmons has not yet commented on his positive test, but retweeted KISS' statement on Tuesday,as well as a CNN articlethat covered Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s PSA encouraging Americans to get vaccinated.
TheGene Simmons Family Jewelsalum has repeatedly expressed support for a COVID-19 vaccine mandate.
“This is a pandemic and it’s very catchy potentially and you could be infecting other people, which is why I’m a firm believer that this should be a law,” he added.
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Breakthrough cases— COVID-19 infections that occur in people who have been fully vaccinated against the virus — are rare, but possible and expected, as the vaccines are not 100 percent effective in preventing infections. Still, vaccinated people who test positive will likely be asymptomatic or experience a far milder illness than if they were not vaccinated. The majority of deaths from COVID-19 — around 98 to 99 percent —are in unvaccinated people.
Upon announcing Stanley’s positive test, KISS said that the band had taken precautions amid the virus' spread, including having the band and crew operating “in a bubble independently to safeguard everyone as much as possible at each show and in between shows.”
“The tour also has a COVID safety protocol officer on staff full-time that is ensuring everyone is closely following all CDC guidelines,” thestatementadded.
CurrentCenters for Disease Control guidelinesencourage people to avoid large gatherings. If choosing to attend a large gathering, the CDC suggests considering factors like COVID-19 transmission in the community and what the behavior of attendees might be like. The CDC encourages people to continue social distancing and to wear masks.
source: people.com
