The governor of New York State announced on Wednesday that major theaters and stadiums will be able to reopen with a 10% gauge of their capacity from February 23, a first after nearly a year of closing.
The 10% threshold applies to rooms capable of accommodating more than 10,000 people, said Andrew Cuomo, without giving more information about buildings of lesser capacity, which will remain, a priori, closed.
To attend the show or the sporting event, spectators must present at the entrance the certificate of a negative PCR test dating less than 72 hours and have their temperature taken.
Once in the room, they will have to wear a mask and respect the rules of physical distancing.
The first to open the ball will be the Barclays Center, a hall that can accommodate 17,700 spectators in a basketball configuration.
As of February 23, the Brooklyn Nets professional league NBA team will be allowed to host the public for its game against the Sacramento Kings.
This will be the first time in 352 days that the Nets will play in front of their spectators. Brooklyn has played at the Barclays Center several times this season, but always behind closed doors.
Asked by AFP about the possible reception of spectators, the New York Knicks, who also play in the NBA, did not follow up immediately.
To deal with the pandemic, Andrew Cuomo had banned, on March 12, all events bringing together more than 500 people, a suspension quickly extended to all shows and sporting events.
The State of New York had carried out a first test by authorizing the Buffalo Bills club, of the American football league NFL, to accommodate 6,700 spectators for a playoff game on January 9.
All had to be tested negative beforehand to sit in the stadium which has 71,600 seats in total.
The formula was rolled over the following week for another Bills playoff game. The governor and state health officials deemed the experiment successful, Andrew Cuomo said Wednesday.
Several other US states already allow large venues to accommodate the public, especially in Florida, where the Super Bowl took place on Sunday, in front of 25,000 people.
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