When fans go to the Barclays Center on Tuesday, they will enter a space where everyone around them, from NBA players to security guards, has tested negative for Covid-19.
It will be the first time since March 11, 2020 that viewers will be back in the arena, said John Abbamondi, chief executive of BSE Global, which manages and operates the National Basketball Association building and Brooklyn Nets.
While it is not the same as having 20,000 people at home, “there is something really special about being one of the few people who can watch an NBA game live,” said Abbamondi. “These people are going to feel really lucky.”
Almost a year after Covid-19 first swept New York City, there are signs that point to a return to normalcy. This week, capacity restrictions for indoor dining will increase from 25% to 35%. Major arenas in the state of New York, such as the Barclays Center and Madison Square Garden, can be opened to fans and operate with a 10% capacity limit.
Weddings with a maximum of 150 guests can start again in mid-March. Indoor family entertainment may open later that month, with outdoor amusement parks to follow, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said last week. Even summer camps can begin to be planned, he said.
Across the state, the positivity rate for Covid-19 infections was 2.99% on Sunday, dropping to the level of a day last seen before Thanksgiving. In New York City, data from the health department showed that the percentage of people who tested positive for Covid-19 is decreasing and is now averaging 7.31% in the past seven days. The number of reported cases, hospitalizations and deaths is also decreasing, according to city data.
Meanwhile, about 12% of New Yorkers received at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, the state said on Friday.
“The numbers are dropping, so now is the time to start making more reopenings,” said Cuomo on Friday. “We are making progress.”
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