All New York theater performances will be suspended until the end of 2020 due to the coronavirus outbreak. Pictured Broadway theater with shutters.
Photo by Spencer Platt / Getty Images
New York plans to use extensive coronavirus testing to reopen its difficult entertainment options, which have been closed for months during the pandemic, Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Monday.
The coronavirus has crippled the live theater industry, particularly at its central hub in New York City. Broadway has been closed since March 2020 and is not expected to reopen until May 30 this year, according to the Broadway League, a trade organization that represents producers and theater owners.
However, Cuomo said there was hope that New York could allow Broadway, among other entertainment options, to reopen with some restrictions. The state would likely set an audience size limit, require everyone to take a negative Covid-19 test before entering, and require proper ventilation systems in theaters, the governor said.
“Would I go to a play and sit in a playhouse with 150 people? If the 150 people tested and they were all negative, I would,” Cuomo said during a press conference. “I think reopening with testing will be key.”
Cuomo said he couldn’t immediately provide a timetable for major venues to reopen. Much of the state’s plan depends on a pilot program that ran in January that allowed nearly 7,000 football fans to attend the Buffalo Bill’s home games as long as they presented a negative Covid-19 test.
The governor had already announced in late January that New York will allow some wedding ceremony venues to reopen on March 15 with limited capacity. Attendees can hold a wedding if all attendees are tested prior to the event and organizers get approval from their local health department in advance, he said.
“Opening locations with testing is something New York wants to lead the way,” Cuomo said Monday.
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