New York to remove capacity restrictions at most of its businesses and the subway will be operational all day again

New York State, along with its neighbors New Jersey and Connecticut, capacity restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic will be eliminated in mid-May, as their immunization campaigns continue to advance rapidly and cases and deaths decline accordingly.

The measure will enter into force in the three States on May 17, and will reach restaurants, offices, retail stores, theaters, museums, hair salons, amusement parks and gyms.

The New York announcement was made by Governor Andrew Cuomo, who said the measures were part of a larger effort to boost economic activity. The President also indicated that the imposition of the termination of food and beverage service will be lifted. In New York, the subway will run all day, every day, on May 17.

Businesses must maintain social distancing – six feet, about 1.8 meters – according to the recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC, for its acronym in English).

However, this will not be necessary if all individuals demonstrate that they have been fully vaccinated or test negative for COVID-19. Restaurants will not have to maintain this distance between tables if they are raising partitions.

According to the New York Immunization Monitor, more than 9.2 million people – 46.5 of the state’s population – have received at least one dose of the vaccine, while nearly 7 million – 34.9 percent – were completely inoculated.

For New York City, Cuomo’s announcement pushes forward by almost a month and a half the many assignments announced last week by Mayor Bill de Blasio, which announced on April 29 its intention to open the activity to 100% from July 1.

“Our plan is to fully open New York on July 1. We are ready to open the stores. Companies, offices, theaters, with all the force, ”said in an interview with the channel MSNBC.

Despite the start of the resumption of sports activities and some entertainment, Major attractions such as the Broadway musicals are not yet accessible in the city.

Last week, the New York authorities announced the largest tourism campaign in its history to promote the city’s recovery. With a budget of several tens of millions of dollars, the initiative will initially focus on local tourism, since it represents more than half of the volume under normal conditions.

The devastating consequences of COVID-19 on New York’s tourism sector in 2020 were evident to anyone who walked through the city’s iconic landmarks, but on Wednesday, authorities put the debacle into figures: 44 million fewer tourists and $ 60,000 million less than in 2019.

The number of visitors fell 67%, from 66.6 million in 2019 to 22.3 million in 2020, and the sector’s revenue fell by about 75%, from $ 80.3 billion in 2019 to $ 20.2 billion last year, the State Comptroller’s Office said in a report on Wednesday.

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