The city that never sleeps may be quiet for a little while as the coronavirus led to the governor of New York and mayor of New York declaring states of emergency, a day after the virus was officially declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization.
Government officials and event organizers across New York City and the rest of the tri-state area have started taking serious measures to prevent the spread of the virus by postponing or canceling events and closing venues that draw large crowds.
Here's the list of local events, parades and other gatherings that have been restricted, postponed or canceled due to the nationwide outbreak:
(Click here for the list of national events.)
- New York City officials announced they would be postponing their St. Patrick's Day parades to a "later date" because of the virus. It's the first time the New York City parade has been postponed in its nearly 260-year history.
- Broadway has suspended all theater shows immediately, through June 7.
- NYC scenic landmarks such as the Empire State Building observatories, Top of the Rock, the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island have shut down until further notice.
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art announced that it will temporarily close all three locations — The Met Fifth Avenue, The Met Breuer, and The Met Cloisters—starting Friday March 13.
- As a result of the Met Museum's closing and the CDC's ban on large gatherings into mid-May, the Met Gala, fashion's biggest night, has been postponed. No rescheduling date has been announced yet.
- The annual Tony Awards, celebrating the best of Broadway, has been postponed. It was originally scheduled for June 7 at Radio City Music Hall, and a rescheduled date has not been set.
- The Archdiocese of New York canceled all Masses indefinitely beginning the weekend of March 14 and 15. A private Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral will be live-streamed on the cathedral's website, the Archdiocese noted.
- The Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn said all public Masses in Brooklyn and Queens have been canceled starting March 16 "until further notice."
- The Tribeca Film Festival was postponed after the announcement from Gov. Cuomo that all events involving 500 people or more were banned. It was not clear when the event — initially scheduled for April 15-26 — would be rescheduled for.
- The U.S. Navy announced that New York City's Fleet Week would be canceled. The last time the annual event was canceled was in 2013 due to budget constraints.
- The New York Stock Exchange will temporarily will temporarily close the trading floor and move fully to electronic trading. Two people tested positive for coronavirus at screenings set up. It marks the first time the floor has been shut while electronic trading continued.
- Governors Ball 2020, the annual musical festival held every summer on Randall's Island, has been canceled entirely after being unable to find a postponement date that works. They are offering full refunds, or those who bought tickets can transfer it to 2021's concert.
- Carnegie Hall has canceled all events from Friday, March 13 through Tuesday, March 31, 2020. This includes programming presented by the Hall’s Weill Music Institute and all free Carnegie Hall Citywide performances in venues across New York City.
- All performances at the Metropolitan Opera have been canceled. effective immediately. through March 31.
- Harlem's Apollo Theater announced that all of their theater-produced public programs (WOW - Women of the World Festival, Amateur Night, Historic Tours, Apollo Comedy Club, etc.) would be canceled from March 13 through April 4. Due to travel restrictions, the concert featuring Oumou Sangare on April 4 has been postponed.
- The performing arts institutions on the Lincoln Center campus is suspending all public performances and screenings starting March 12 through the end of the month. Lincoln Center Theater will follow the same directives as the rest of Broadway, and will not have performances through April 12.
- The New York Philharmonic, in coordination with Lincoln Center, has canceled all performances
- The American Museum of Natural History will close to the public starting March 13. It was unclear when the museum would reopen.
- The 44th Annual Mid-Hudson St. Patrick’s Parade and the parade day events scheduled for Sunday, March 15, have been postponed. A new date for the parade, including the Mass honoring St. Patrick and the Grand Marshal’s Breakfast, is tentatively planned for late September and will eventually be announced.
- The Rockland County St. Patrick's Day Parade was canceled as well.
- The City of Yonkers, located in Westchester County, announced that its St. Patrick's Day Parade scheduled for March 21 has been postponed to Sept. 19. The parade dinner will take place Sept. 12.
- The NYC Half Marathon and the Rising New York Road Runners youth event scheduled for March 15 have been canceled, the events' organizers announced Tuesday afternoon. All NYRR races and events through May 10 have been canceled. Runners that registered directly with New York Road Runners will be eligible for a full refund of the entry fee or free entry to next year's half marathon.
- NBC's "The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon" and "Late Night With Seth Meyers" announced that they would stop taping all new shows starting March 13.
- CBS's "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert," and Comedy Central's "The Daily Show With Trevor Noah" will film without live studio audiences beginning March 16, the shows announced in alignment with New York City's coronavirus recommendations.
- The Tour at NBC Studios has also suspended operations until further notice
- The New York Auto Show was postponed for the first time since World War II, CNBC reported. The show was set to start in early April, but it will now run Aug. 28 through Sept. 6. The event generally attracts more than 1 million visitors.
- The United Nations complex in New York City is closed to the general public and guided tours will be suspended until further notice, a spokesman for the UN Secretary General confirmed.
- The New York Public Library said it was implementing a series of preventative measures in an effort to fight the spread of coronavirus. All public events and programs in its research centers have been canceled for the rest of March as a means of supporting the city's efforts to discourage crowds and encourage social distancing. The NYPL will stay open to the public, however.
- The Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament at the Barclays Center and the Big East Conference Tournament at Madison Square Garden were both canceled Thursday, with the NCAA also canceling March Madness entirely.
- The National Museum of the American Indian in New York is postponing or canceling all public events, programming and gatherings through May 3. Consult its calendar of events, museum websites and si.edu for the latest updates.
- Following a call with the 30 Clubs, and after consultation with the Major League Baseball Players Association, Commissioner Robert D. Manfred, Jr. today announced that MLB has decided to suspend Spring Training games and to delay the start of the 2020 regular season
- The Jewish Museum announced that all public programs and events have been canceled
- The NCAA canceled its men's and women's basketball tournaments due to the spread of the coronavirus.
- The Archbishop of Newark has announced that the Archdiocese will suspend Sunday Mass until further notice. The public celebration of Mass for March 14 and March 15 will also be suspended, but the celebration of daily Mass will continue.
- The massive American Dream mall in northern New Jersey announced it will close, starting Monday, March 16 "to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19." The closure will take place until the end of March. The preview opening of DreamWorks Water Park and various retailers scheduled for March 19 have been postponed.
- Legoland New York Resort, which was set to open this year, will push its debut back to 2021. Any tickets purchased will be honored when the park opens next year.
- Liberty Science Center, located in Jersey City, will be closed to the public until the end of March, although a few staff members will remain on-site to care for the 110 species of animals and perform other essential tasks. Those who have purchased advance tickets for admission or evening events will have the option to receive a refund or contribute the purchase price as a donation to the center's STEM education fund.
- One World Observatory will temporarily suspend operations effective March 14. Individuals with pre-purchase admissions and those with confirmed event bookings will be contacted for alternative arrangements.
- Top of the Rock announced that it will close the observation deck March 14 until further notice in an effort to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.
- Cirque Du Soleil rescheduled all of its upcoming shows scheduled at the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, New York. The engagements will take place from Ju;ly
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