New York will be back in business on May 19, removing most capacity restrictions for businesses and institutions and easing limits on large gatherings as well in what Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo called “a major step forward in reopening” the state from coronavirus shutdowns.
The state will still maintain a six-foot social distancing requirement, meaning capacity will be limited by the ability to enforce that rule, he said. Widespread limits on business activities and social gatherings were put in place since the spring of 2020 to curtail spread of a runaway virus, but virus positivity levels have fallen recently as vaccinations increased.
The removal of set capacity limits for most businesses and institutions will mean a return of New Yorkers to restaurants, museums, theaters, Broadway, retail, shops and offices, though some may experience delays in returning to normal, Cuomo said.
The reopening will be coordinated with the neighboring states of New Jersey and Connecticut and will also entail returning to fully operational mass transit and the lifting of curfews on May 17, Cuomo said.
“This is a major reopening of economic and social activity … and it is coordinated regionally, which is smart” to avoid people crossing state lines to participate in activities, Cuomo said during a livestreamed briefing.
He also announced that outdoor large stadiums will move to 33% capacity in the state on May 19, while the tristate area governments work on a joint protocol for stadiums going forward.
The surprise move toward a widespread reopening came after several weeks of declining virus positivity in New York, with the state’s overall rate of positivity measured at 1.94% from more than 113,000 test results on Sunday.
Long Island’s latest seven-day average of positivity also tracked well-below the most recent peaks and plateau at 1.79%, with New York City registering 1.72% for that period. Only the Western New York region tracked above 3% for positivity, with 3.38% over the last seven-day period.
In New York City, about 80,000 municipal workers were returning to their physical workspaces beginning Monday for the first time since shutdowns and work-from-home policies began nearly 14 months ago.
About 80% of the city’s more than 300,000 workers — including cops and firefighters — have been working in person through the pandemic.
“When we’re all together, we get more done for the people,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said Monday at his daily pandemic news conference.
He also highlighted how health metrics tracking the pandemic — such as infection and hospitalization rates — keep going down.
“Talk about exciting — today’s indicators! This is my kind of report, and it’s been such a good pattern lately,” he said, before showing a slideshow detailing the metrics, such as the infection rate, which is 2.78% of those tested, averaged over the prior seven days.
“A great number. This is my all-time favorite graph. Just want to see that go lower, lower, lower all the time,” he said.
He urged New Yorkers to get vaccinated to keep moving towards his goal of a full reopening of the city — without restrictions — beginning July 1.
With Matthew Chayes
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