New York Stadiums + Arenas to Open Later This Month

Despite the spike in COVID-19 cases around the U.S. earlier this winter, things are finally starting to look up. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has allowed for stadiums and arenas in the state to open up at 10 percent capacity starting Feb. 23 — though with certain social distancing practices still in place.

In January, Cuomo allowed people to attend the Buffalo Bills playoff game against the Indianapolis Colts as long as they had proof of a negative COVID test that had been taken 72 hours prior to kickoff. All fans and personnel also had to agree to contact tracing following the game.

According to NBC New York, the governor called the event an "unparalleled success," and today, he announced that he will allow other large venues in the state to operate under the same conditions. A negative PCR test must be provided by all attendees, and the test must've been taken within 72 hours before the start of the event.

Stadiums and arenas with a 10,000-person capacity must operate at only 10 percent and social distancing measures such as masks and temperature checks will still be the protocol, but it's a big step in the right direction.

"The success of this, and similar events in approved venues over the coming weeks will help inform the re-opening process for smaller venues in the future," the governor said.

With plenty of concerts and festivals booked for the latter half of 2021, we can only hope that continuing these limitations now will assure future events can occur at a normal magnitude.