reopening

The president’s top COVID advisor, days after brushing off reports of a possible dangerous new virus strain circulating in New York, stood at a White House podium Monday and said the government was taking that variant “very seriously.” Dr. Anthony Fauci said the “B.1.526” strain likely originated in Washington Heights, a neighborhood in upper Manhattan, before spreading to “multiple...

New York state reported its second known case of the South African variant Tuesday as the number of detected U.K. variant cases soared to 154, 54 percent of which are in the five boroughs, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said. Both of the recently detected South African variant cases involve Nassau County residents, Cuomo said. That strain, which involves different mutations on…

Ray Villeda reports on the reopening of sports arenas, including Madison Square Garden, to fans today

Fans in the stands. Middle schoolers in the classroom. More overnight subway service. A big boost for indoor dining. The largest vaccination site yet. Nursing home visitations. This may be the most significant (and varied) week of reopening in New York state and city since the pandemic began. It comes a day after the U.S. surpassed a once-unthinkable 500,000 lives…

Postponed. Canceled. “Please try again later.” These are some of the most common messages frustrating tri-state residents as they scramble to try to book vaccination appointments that take months to get and might get shelved anyway. In most cases, it’s a matter of supply. New York City’s stock of first doses had dwindled below 29,000 Wednesday, prompting Mayor Bill...

New York state and city officials are facing increasing pressure from local council members and others regarding their response to tracking more contagious coronavirus variants that have emerged as the number of detected U.K. variant cases in the Empire State and nationally continues to climb. Mayor Bill de Blasio and his team were peppered with new questions Tuesday, one...

Indoor dining resumed Friday in New York City, nearly two months since Gov. Andrew Cuomo shut it down entirely for the second time in a year as COVID-19 cases began to climb post-Thanksgiving. And starting Sunday, the 10 p.m. statewide indoor service curfew will be extended to 11 p.m., Cuomo said Friday, citing ongoing declines in hospitalization and infection rates…

Restaurants in the city are getting ready to so something they haven’t been able to do for tow months: serve customers inside. While they are happy to return to some sense of normalcy, some are fighting to be able to stay open past the 10 p.m. curfew. NBC New York’s Gilma Avalos reports.

In two weeks, the state will allow arenas and large venues to reopen for the first time since the start of the pandemic, but fans looking to attend events will have to shell out more money than expected. NBC New York’s Erica Byfield reports.

With sports arenas getting the green light to reopen in coming weeks, indoor family entertainment centers want to know when it will be their turn — and are suing the state to allow them to do so sooner. NBC New York’s Greg Cergol reports.

Declaring New York state’s demonstration with the Buffalo Bills an “unparalleled success,” Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Wednesday he will extend the testing- based program to any large stadium or arena later this month. Fans who provide a negative PCR test within 72 hours of an event will be able to attend music shows and performances as well as baseball, soccer,…

Declaring New York state’s demonstration with the Buffalo Bills an “unparalleled success,” Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Wednesday he will extend the testing- based program to any large stadium or arena later this month. That means fans who provide a negative PCR test within 72 hours of an event will be able to attend music shows and performances as well as...

New York state will not grant Mayor Bill de Blasio’s formal request to fully open up reserved second doses for first dose use, saying the CDC recommends against doing so at this time. If that changes, the governor will allow it statewide, the state health commissioner said Thursday. The mayor has repeatedly made the ask — earning the right from…

A powerful nor’easter temporarily brought New York’s vaccine rollout to a halt this week, with all city hubs and many state-run sites postponing appointments through Tuesday, but the state’s downward trek from the holiday spike that saw hospitalizations top 9,000 for the first time in nearly nine months is continuing. At the same time, Gov. Andrew Cuomo says the...

New Yorker elected leaders faced renewed questions of how to improve vaccine distribution on Monday, one day after Mayor Bill de Blasio shared demographic data showing a significant racial disparity among people who have received their first dose. Mayor Bill de Blasio unveiled the city’s first look at a breakdown of race and ethnicity among those vaccinated Sunday while...

New York City restaurants can reopen indoor dining at 25 percent capacity on Valentine’s Day, one of the busiest dining days of the year, provided current downward trends in positivity and hospitalization rates continue, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Friday. He also announced that wedding receptions of up to 50 percent capacity or 150 people will be permitted in New York…

New York City restaurants can reopen indoor dining at 25 percent capacity on Valentine’s Day, provided current downward trends in positivity and hospitalization rates continue, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Friday. He also announced that wedding receptions of up to 50 percent or 150 people will be permitted in New York starting March 15, provided all guests are tested and local health officials approve.

New York City has moved closer to a cutoff point in its vaccination rollout as multiple hospitals told patients who booked appointments for their first dose that there were no more vaccines, for now. The mayor had warned days ago the city would run out of doses at some point next week without a “major” new infusion. Bill de Blasio…

The discovery of a second UK strain cluster in New York, this time on Long Island, is fueling ever-heightened urgency around the state’s vaccination rollout, which encountered a significant hiccup in the city as the state’s daily death toll continues to rise while hospitalizations start to plateau. Multiple New York City hospitals sent out messages Thursday evening to patients...

New Jersey residents 65 and older, as well as those from 16 to 64 with serious medical conditions such as cancer, heart and kidney disease, can begin to be vaccinated with the COVID-19 shot on Thursday, Gov. Phil Murphy said Wednesday. Murphy said the decision stemmed from a few factors, including what he said was a “strong appetite” for expanding…