ALBANY – New York will ban events of 500 people or more and impose restrictions on other gathering venues as part of its effort to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Thursday.
The ban on large gatherings will take effect at 5 p.m. Friday except for Broadway theaters, which will be ordered to close at 5 p.m. today.
Bars, restaurants and other venues with a listed occupancy of less than 500 will have their capacity temporarily slashed by 50%, Cuomo said.
In addition, New York will impose sweeping restrictions on nursing homes across the state, prohibiting anyone but medical staff to enter in hopes of preventing infection of the elderly, who are particularly susceptible to the coronavirus disease's effects.
Cuomo made the announcement around 2 p.m., saying the state needs to take dramatic steps to cut down on events with a high density of people.
“Science dictates these decisions,” Cuomo said. “This is about science. This is about data. And let the science and let the data make the decisions.”
Cuomo's decision comes as the number of confirmed coronavirus cases increased to 328 statewide, an increase of 112 from Wednesday. Of the total, 148 are in Westchester County, home to one of the country's most significant clusters in the city of New Rochelle.
The capacity restriction and ban on large gatherings does not apply to schools, hospitals, nursing homes and mass transit. It also does not apply to office buildings, grocery stores and other buildings where people don't congregate in close quarters in a sin
When it comes to nursing home visitors, Cuomo said facilities can make exceptions for those looking to visit a family member who is particularly ill or facing death, though they will be required to wear protective gear.
Cuomo said the limitations will remain in effect indefinitely. The state will revisit them daily, but he said they remain likely to remain as the state's number of confirmed coronavirus cases continues to increase.
"I can't tell you anything more than the numbers tell me. I see those numbers going up on the number of cases, on the number of hospitalizations, I see those going up and I adjust on the numbers."
The Broadway League, the trade group representing Broadway theater owners and producers, said the New York theaters hope to reopen for performances the week of April 13.
"Our top priority has been and will continue to be the health and well-being of Broadway theatregoers and the thousands of people who work in the theatre industry every day, including actors, musicians, stagehands, ushers, and many other dedicated professionals,” said Charlotte St. Martin, the trade group's president.
When asked whether he thinks Broadway will reopen April 13, Cuomo said: "We'll see."
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Jon Campbell is a New York state government reporter for the USA TODAY Network. He can be reached at JCAMPBELL1@Gannett.com or on Twitter at @JonCampbellGAN.
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2020-03-12 19:46:33Z
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