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Baseball Fans Can Attends Mets, Yankees Games At 20% Capacity, Starting April 1st

Jen Chung

Published Mar 18, 2021

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Mr. Met wears a Mets mask outside Citi Field

Erik Pendzich/Shutterstockdid you

Jen Chung

Published Mar 18, 2021

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New York's professional baseball teams will be able to open their gates to fans this season, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced on Thursday at a press conference in which the press was once again conspicuously excluded. Cuomo, who currently faces multiple investigations into alleged sexual misconduct and his administration's handling of nursing homes during the height of the pandemic, was joined by members of the Mets' and Yankees' front offices, who took turns thanking the embattled governor.

The Yankees, whose home opener is April 1st, and the Mets, who will be home on April 8th, can welcome fans at 20% capacity—as long as those fans have a negative PCR or antigen test or a full vaccination; wear masks; and socially distance in the stadiums. This means up to nearly 11,000 Yankees fans and about 8,000 Mets fans will have the chance to sit in the stands at Yankee Stadium and Citi Field.

Both teams will also utilize mobile ticketing and cashless payment systems for concession orders.

"The crowd makes the ballgame. We are going to play ball with the crowd," Cuomo said, appearing upbeat. "It is so good for the psyche. You have to get out of the house and go to a game and go outside."

The state say the overall seven-day average state COVID positivity rate is around 3.2%, while it's about 4.15-4.21% in NYC. As measured by New York City, the seven-day rate has plateaued to around 6.5-7% for about three weeks.

Professional basketball reopened to spectators in February, at 10% for indoor sports venues. Cuomo has repeatedly cited the success of the limited-capacity Buffalo Bills playoff games as the blueprint for arena reopenings. The Bills, with only 10% capacity, were the only professional football team to require a negative COVID-19 test before attending, and the state and an outside data tracking firm say there appeared to be no cases or outbreaks connected to those games.

Cuomo also announced that all outdoor venues—for sporting events and/or arts events—with more than 10,000 seats can reopen at 20% capacity, an increase from 10%.

Tagged

pandemic

governor cuomo

Yankees

reopening

mets

sports

Jen Chung

Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.

Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations

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