Large outdoor venues including amphitheaters, racetracks and sports stadiums will soon be opening to full capacity in New York with special seating for vaccinated attendees.
The new occupancy rules are only limited by a caveat to provide patrons with the ability to maintain the required social distance of six feet. It applies to all outdoor sports, performing arts and live entertainment, and horse and auto racing venues statewide, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Wednesday.
Patrons will also still be required to wear face coverings and follow other applicable health protocols for venues. The rules take effect May 19.
Further, fully vaccinated attendees at the outdoor venues may be spaced next to one another, instead of six-feet apart, in assigned, seated sections that are designated solely for fully vaccinated people.
Those under the age of 16 who are not yet eligible for the vaccine may be seated with a vaccinated adult in a fully vaccinated section, which will be among the first nationally to separate out unvaccinated people at large events.
People seated in the vaccinated sections will have to provide proof of full immunization status, which can be provided through paper form, digital application or the state’s Excelsior Pass.
“Our state’s positivity and hospitalization rates continue to drop and more people are getting vaccinated, so now it’s time to readjust our reopening based on the science and the data,” Cuomo said in a statement.
COVID-19 infections statewide have dropped drastically from recent peaks in January as vaccinations climbed. The COVID-19 test positivity rate was 1.49{066dbc63777e5ed549f406789d72fdeebd77a32711d57f7b38ff2b35c4ba2a42} on Tuesday, the lowest level since late October.
More than 16 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered statewide so far, with nearly 47{066dbc63777e5ed549f406789d72fdeebd77a32711d57f7b38ff2b35c4ba2a42} of New Yorkers receiving at least one dose, state data show.
Meanwhile, Cuomo, a Democrat, touted the special vaccinated seating as part of a push to incentivize the shots, as waning demand raises concerns New York will be unable to vaccinate between 70{066dbc63777e5ed549f406789d72fdeebd77a32711d57f7b38ff2b35c4ba2a42} and 90{066dbc63777e5ed549f406789d72fdeebd77a32711d57f7b38ff2b35c4ba2a42} of its population to effectively starve the coronavirus of people vulnerable to infection and end the pandemic.
In contrast, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, recently issued an executive order that prohibits “vaccine passports,” saying it is unnecessary “to be policing people at this point.”
The large outdoor venue reopening rules in New York were released after the governor on Wednesday announced the state was lifting occupancy limits for professional baseball games, including special vaccinated seating at stadiums.
The move comes after New York, New Jersey and Connecticut officials announced occupancy limits would be lifted for restaurants, gyms, retail stores and other businesses beginning May 19.
On Wednesday, Cuomo also announced Broadway theaters will reopen Sept. 14, with tickets going on sale Thursday.
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David Robinson is the state health care reporter for the USA TODAY Network New York. He can be reached at[email protected] and followed on Twitter:@DrobinsonLoHud