The measure is effective from Friday evening.
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LBroadway theaters closed, as well as the Metropolitan Museum and other iconic New York places: after having long resisted cancellations, the American capital of culture recorded its first big shock related to the coronavirus on Thursday.
New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo broke the news as pressure mounted to cancel major New York events.
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“We are taking drastic measures (..) to reduce the number of people in a contagious environment: no gathering of more than 500 people,” Governor Andrew Cuomo said.
He said the ban would be effective from Friday evening, except in Broadway theaters where it begins this Thursday evening.
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The major online ticket sales site TodayTix reported that “all Broadway theaters will be closed from 5:00 pm tonight until April 13”.
MMA closed
Earlier, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the largest of New York museums, announced its closure until further notice.
“Even though we have not had any confirmed cases in connection with the Museum, we believe that we must do everything possible to guarantee a safe and healthy environment for the population, which at this stage calls for minimizing gatherings”, a Daniel Weiss, president of the large museum that borders Central Park, said in a statement.
The prestigious Metropolitan Opera and the New York Philharmonic have also announced a closure until March 31.
The same goes for the Carnegie Hall shows, all canceled starting Friday and through the end of the month.
After having long resisted any drastic measure, the first American city, one of the first world tourist destinations, confirmed Wednesday evening the postponement of its traditional Saint Patrick’s Day parade, a great popular festival which honors Americans of Irish origin and usually brings together some 2 million people.
But Mayor Bill de Blasio still hoped Thursday morning to be able to “prevent all the lights to go out” in the theaters of the city “, while acknowledging that the situation” evolves from hour to hour “.
Sixty-two confirmed cases of coronavirus had been identified by midday on Thursday.
Cancellations of cultural and sporting events are increasing in Europe and the United States in an attempt to stem the spread of the epidemic.
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