New York’s Cuomo says amusement parks and campgrounds could reopen this summer, while the state monitors Covid variants

New York is moving forward with the reopening of more companies amid a post-holiday decline in Covid-19 cases, but the state is “watching” for problematic variants of the virus that could reverse its progress.

Indoor family entertainment centers, such as galleries, trampoline parks or laser tag facilities, will be able to reopen from March 26 with 25% capacity with additional precautions such as social distance, mask use and frequent cleaning, said Governor Andrew Cuomo on Wednesday.

Outdoor amusement parks may reopen on April 9 with 33% capacity with similar requirements, and parents can plan for night summer camps to return sometime in June, the Democratic governor said in a call with reporters.

Cuomo has gradually begun to lift more restrictions on companies in recent weeks, as the state distributed more doses of Covid-19 vaccines and cases continued to decline due to the sudden post-holiday increase.

The state is reporting a weekly average of 7,949 Covid cases per day, a decline of more than 8% compared to a week ago and the lowest number since early December, according to a CNBC analysis of data compiled by Johns University Hopkins.

Last week, Cuomo said that large stadiums and arenas in New York will reopen in late February with mandatory pre-tests, a strategy in which the state “wants to lead the way”. Over the weekend, New York City restaurants were able to reopen their indoor dining sections with 25% capacity.

However, new and highly contagious variants of the Covid-19 may reverse New York’s progress or prevent its planned reopening. The governor said the state has already identified 82 cases of Covid-19 with the variant first identified in the UK in December, known as B.1.1.7., With 12 additional cases added since Saturday. He said most of these new cases were found in the New York City area.

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