Fun is returning to New York!
The state’s outdoor amusement parks, and indoor entertainment venues like arcades and escape rooms, will be allowed to reopen at limited capacity in the coming months, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Wednesday.
Additionally, summer camps across the Empire State should “plan on reopening” in June, the governor said on a conference call with reporters.
Outdoor amusement parks can reopen on April 9 at 33 percent capacity, with COVID-19 safety protocols in place like mask-wearing and social distancing, Cuomo said.
“Rides or attractions that cannot be socially distanced must remain closed,” he explained.
Indoor “family entertainment centers” — like arcades, trampoline parks, laser tag, Dave & Buster’s and escape rooms — can also reopen on Mar. 26 at 25 percent capacity, Cuomo said.
All customers at the amusement parks and entertainment centers will be required to have their temperatures taken prior to entry and contact information must be collected from each party for potential contact tracing, the governor’s office said.
Cuomo did not give an exact date for when New York’s day and overnight summer camps can reopen from their coronavirus-induced closures, beyond that they should plan for June.
“We hope the current trajectory [of coronavirus positivity rates] stays until June,” said Cuomo.
Dick Zigun, the self-styled “mayor” of Coney Island and the creator of its beloved Mermaid Parade, said it was “terrific news” for the struggling amusement park district.
“This is what we’ve been waiting for and it’s great that they finally announced it now, so there’s not only time to plan and prepare, but to hire people,” said Zigun, the founder of the nonprofit arts organization Coney Island USA.
He noted that the beachfront Brooklyn locale “is a big economic engine in the summertime” and the parks there usually employ thousands of people.
Long-closed summer camps will soon be opened at limited capacity starting in April. Getty ImagesHowever, he griped that the outdoor amusement parks, which were shuttered last summer, should have been allowed to reopen much sooner.
“It didn’t make sense last summer that they couldn’t open when outdoor dining was allowed,” he said.
“There were points when it seemed bizarre that Coney Island was completely shut down all last season and 15 miles away on the other side of the Hudson River amusement parks were reopened,” he said.
Coney Island’s famed Wonder Wheel and Cyclone roller coaster “are easily socially distanced” attractions, noted Zigun.
New York state’s COVID-19 positivity rate has been trending down, with the latest positive testing rate for the bug at 3.58 percent, data shows.
The statewide COVID-19 infection rate on a seven-day rolling average has declined for 40 straight days, with the latest rate at 3.6 percent, Cuomo said, noting that it’s the lowest for the seven-day average since Nov. 28.
In the last 24 hours, 109 New Yorkers died as a result of the coronavirus, “even with all that progress,” said Cuomo.
The rate of total hospitalizations for COVID-19 dropped by 46, bringing the statewide total to 6,574, according to state data.







