‘A major reopening’: New York will end most COVID capacity restrictions May 19

New York will lift most capacity restrictions on businesses statewide on May 19, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced today.

Most businesses, restaurants and offices will be permitted to operate at full capacity, so long as patrons can maintain six feet of social distancing. 

Events may be held at full capacity with no social distancing requirements if they require attendees to provide proof of vaccination or negative COVID-19 test results, Cuomo said.

The rollback of capacity restrictions will apply to almost all industries—restaurants, gyms, salons, retail, museums, theaters and amusement parks—with the exception of stadiums and catering halls. 

Stadium capacity will increase to 33% May 19. Indoor catering hall capacity will increase to 250 people, or 500 people if attendees provide proof of vaccination or negative COVID-19 test results.

Residential gathering limits will also be increased to 50 people.

The restaurant curfew will remain in effect until May 17 for outdoor dining and May 31 for indoor dining, at which point it will be lifted.

New York will keep its statewide mask mandate. Social distancing requirements will also remain in effect, with the exception of events that require proof of vaccination or negative COVID-19 test results.

“This is a significant moment of transition and a major step forward in reopening,” Cuomo said at his press conference today.

Capacity limits at most businesses have been sharply restricted since March 2020, when the first COVID-19 outbreak shut down the state’s economy and closed most businesses across New York.

Over the past 13 months, restrictions have gradually been loosened as businesses, restaurants and offices were slowly allowed to begin reopening with reduced capacity limits.

New York’s decision to roll back most capacity restrictions represents the largest step toward resuming normal life since the beginning of the pandemic.

The state’s decision to reopen is driven by several factors, Cuomo said: the hospitalization rate, the positivity rate and the number of vaccinations across New York.

Nearly half of New York State residents have received their first COVID-19 vaccine dose, he said, and 36% of residents have been fully vaccinated. 

Daily cases have recently plummeted in New York, as they have across the country. A sharp decline in cases over the past three weeks have brought daily new infections from more than 8,000 in early April to an average of 3,389 this past week.

Hospitalizations have also decreased, from 5,619 patients hospitalized on March 29 to 3,591 on April 29, the most recent date for which data is available. Although this is a sharp reduction from the winter surge, which peaked at 10,045 in early January, it’s still higher than the averages reported during the lull in cases last summer and fall, when around 1,500 patients were hospitalized with COVID-19 at any given time.

Health officials expect hospitalizations and deaths to continue decreasing while daily case rates continue their downward trajectory.

Cuomo expressed optimism at the state’s ability to return to normal with the state’s vaccination campaign and the decreasing number of daily infections.

Daily vaccination rates have begun to decline in recent days, Cuomo said, but the state is working on reaching residents who are still uncertain about getting their shot. “The New Yorkers who were most eager to get the vaccine went out first,” he said. “And now you’re having New Yorkers who are less eager to get it.”

He estimated that “vaccine-hesitant” residents make up about 20% of New York’s population. “That’s going to be a hard population to reach, but we’re working on it all the time,” he said. “If there’s one thing that the global healthcare community agrees on with COVID, the more vaccinated the better.”

The state opened all mass vaccination sites to walk-in appointments last week. All residents ages 16 and older are currently eligible to get the vaccine.