New York State Team
Two very different versions of a post-COVID-19 pandemic world have emerged in New York state as authorities pursue plans for separating people based on vaccination status in certain circumstances.
For those vaccinated, life will soon once again include jam-packed concerts, fans crammed into baseball stadiums and other raucous celebrations filling large outdoor venues.
For the unvaccinated, however, it will feature occupancy limits at venues and social distance rules that have kept people at least six feet apart to limit the spread of coronavirus over the past year.
The growing divide stemmed from new state directives allowing specialized treatment of vaccinated people. At large outdoor venues, for example, that includes creating special areas without social-distancing requirements for vaccinated attendees, beginning May 19. Mask wearing would still be required at all venues.
New York State Team
Two very different versions of a post-COVID-19 pandemic world have emerged in New York state as authorities pursue plans for separating people based on vaccination status in certain circumstances.
For those vaccinated, life will soon once again include jam-packed concerts, fans crammed into baseball stadiums and other raucous celebrations filling large outdoor venues.
For the unvaccinated, however, it will feature occupancy limits at venues and social distance rules that have kept people at least six feet apart to limit the spread of coronavirus over the past year.
The growing divide stemmed from new state directives allowing specialized treatment of vaccinated people. At large outdoor venues, for example, that includes creating special areas without social-distancing requirements for vaccinated attendees, beginning May 19. Mask wearing would still be required at all venues.
New York State Team
New York state is lifting occupancy limits for vaccinated fans attending professional baseball games including the Mets and Yankees in New York City and the Blue Jays in Buffalo as part of a major reopening push, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Wednesday.
The new rules allow vaccinated fans to sit in special seating sections at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, Citi Field in Flushing and Sahlen Field in Buffalo, as well as minor league stadiums across the state. The fans would still be required to wear face coverings.
Attendees under the age of 16 who are not yet eligible for the vaccine may accompany and be seated with a vaccinated adult in the special sections.
New York State Team
New York hospitals received mixed safety grades from a consumer watchdog group that analyzed conditions just before the COVID-19 pandemic struck last spring.
Only 16 hospitals statewide, or 10.7%, received the highest A safety grade from Leapfrog, a Washington, DC-based nonprofit, while 30 hospitals received the second-lowest D grade. Just one, New York Community Hospital in Brooklyn, received an F.
The review looked at a variety of serious health-related issues, including data related to infectious disease prevention metrics considered crucial to limiting the spread of coronavirus.
“Seeing how well hospitals are doing on infection prevention, in general, may indicate how well they were able to control the spread of COVID inside their facility,” said Erica Mobley, vice president of administration at Leapfrog.
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New York, New Jersey and Connecticut are ending many COVID-19 capacity limits beginning May 19 as coronavirus infections continue to decline and vaccinations climb, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Monday.
The lifting of occupancy limits marks a major milestone in the phased reopening of the states after more than a year of battling COVID-19.
The caveat is that people will still be required to stay six feet apart, which will affect the number of people allowed into offices, restaurants, theaters and other indoor settings, Cuomo said. The six-foot rule will not apply to most events that require proof of vaccination or a recent negative COVID-19 test.