NYC Update: What’s Open, Cancelled, Postponed

Top News in NYC & Tri-State Update Dec. 28

The world’s largest New Year’s Eve party, in Times Square, also will be virtual.

Brooklyn’s famous Coney Island Polar Bear Club has cancelled its traditional New Year’s Day plunge in the Atlantic Ocean.

NYC holiday lights, windows and trees is will be lit through Jan. 3, some through Jan. 10.

Visiting the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree is a ticketed event with timed access for social distancing.

Radio City cancelled the annual Christmas Spectacular, featuring the legendary Rockettes.

The New York City Ballet cancelled its iconic holiday performances of The Nutcracker – but the 2019 performance is being livestreamed.

NYC restaurants and bars must stop serving at 10pm.

Indoor seating is currently not permitted.   Outdoor dining continues, with heaters now legal.

Visitors and returning residents can avoid quarantine with a negative Covid-19 test result.

NYCOTC has been updating this list periodically since March.

Now the details

Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree

FREE timed tickets are required in 2020 for social distancing. 

Ticket holders will be limited to five minutes, for photos and videos.

Rockefeller Center Plaza, where the tree is located, is closed to the public while the tree is in place.

Full information here.

New Quarantine Regulations

If you want to avoid a mandatory two-week quarantine, you will have to provide a negative Coronavirus test taken within three days of arrival, and another test four days after arriving.

The new policy replaces the previous list of states subject to quarantine, which depended on their rates of infection.

Since those rates kept changing, the list kept changing, and it was just too complicated to administer. At last count, more than 40 of the 50 states were on the quarantine list.

The new rule applies to passengers arriving at the three main airports serving NYC – JFK and LaGuardia in Queens and Newark, New Jersey – and to those arriving by train, bus or car.

Read more here

Airport, Airline Face Mask Regulations

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) are now handing out $50 fines to anybody using their facilities who is not wearing a face covering or face mask “appropriately”.

PANYJ facilities include terminals at the three area airports – JFK, LaGuardia and Newark –  PATH stations and trains, AirTrain stations and trains, and the Port Authority bus terminal.

While PANYNJ does not require a specific kind of mask – only that it’s worn correctly (covering nose and mouth) – many airlines do have requirements about specific types of face covering.

American Airlines, Delta, and United require wearing face masks on board, but have banned face masks with valves.

United is offering FREE Covid-19 tests for international passengers at EWR.

Ice Skating

FREE ice skating is now open in Bryant Park. New this year – reservations are required.

More information here.

The Rockefeller Ice Skating Rink is open. Advance reservations are required.

More information here.

New Year’s Eve

The party is over. Literally.  Just when we need a new year and put this one in the rear-view window, it is just not safe to crowd one million people into Times Square.

Instead, the iconic Times Square New Year’s Eve celebration, will be a “virtual world”, with a small group of in-person honorees and hosts, according to a statement Wednesday from event organizers. 

“Any opportunity to be live in Times Square will be predetermined and extremely limited due to COVID-19 restrictions,” Tim Tompkins, president of the Times Square Alliance, said in a statement. 

As always, you can watch on TV.

There’s no word yet about the annual Wishing Wall or confetti.

The announcement was accompanied by a 35-second video clip that shows an animated version of Times Square with the iconic ball drop.

Organizers said they are still working through the specifics but that there will be a broadcast of the ball drop and some live entertainment elements in Times Square executed with safety in mind.

Around 1 million people usually attend the event, according to the Times Square Alliance. 

“Any opportunity to be live in Times Square will be predetermined and extremely limited due to COVID-19 restrictions,” Tim Tompkins, president of the Times Square Alliance, said in a statement. 

Metropolitan Opera photo

Metropolitan Opera

The Met will stay shuttered until Sept. 2021, putting some 1,000 full-time musicians, chorus members, stagehands and others out of work.   This is the gravest crisis in the 137-year history of the fabled Metropolitan Opera.

One of the first operas to be performed next fall is Terence Blanchard’s “Fire Shut Up in My Bones,” the first time an opera by a Black composer will be performed at the 3,800 seat hall.  It is both an overdue milestone, and part of a new focus on contemporary works to lure back audiences, including minorities.  

The Met also will experiment with earlier curtain times and shortening some of the longer traditional operas, also to attract new audiences, according to the NY Times.

Ticket holders for the cancelled season will be automatically credited to their Met Opera accounts, to exchange for the 20/21 season, or donated to the Met to help make up a $150 Million loss for the cancelled season. 

In the meantime, the Met continues to livestream recorded operas each night from 30 yeas of archived performances. 

See the Met livestream schedule here.

Broadway and Off-Broadway Shows

Theaters remain shuttered through January 2021, which means no shows over the important Christmas and New Year’s holidays.

See our Virtual Events calendar to find out what’s streaming now.

See our article on which Broadway shows have closed permanently and which have postponed to 2021.

More News:

NYC museums and cultural institutions are open at 25% occupancy.

It’s a great time to be a tourist and take a staycation in your own hometown, since most museums and popular attractions are open and not crowded.

At museums, timed ticketing required. Face coverings enforced and controlled traffic flow.  Strict safety protocols will be in place — including mandatory face coverings & social distancing.

Museums, Zoos, Botanical Gardens

See our full list of museums and attractions now open

Metropolitan Museum of Art and The Cloisters

• The Metropolitan Museum of Art re-opened on August 29 with timed entry. 
• The Cloisters re-opened in September.
• The featured exhibition is its  150th anniversary exhibition, “Making The Met, 1870—2020,” which had been planned for March 23. No date has been announced for the re-opening.
• The Met had closed previously for only two major events in NYC – for the days following  9/11 and Hurricane Sandy, according to this full story in the NYTimes.
• The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute important fund-raiser annual Met Gala, scheduled for May 4, was postponed.  This year’s theme was to be “About Time: Fashion and Duration.”

The Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) also reopened

The New York Botanical Garden is open with timed entry, social distancing and face mask requirements.

The Brooklyn Botanic Garden is open.

The Queens Botanical Garden is open, but the Visitor Center is closed.

The National Park Service has reopened the grounds of Liberty Island to visitors.  There’s no reopening date yet for Lady Liberty herself, the new statue museum wich opened in 2019 or nearby Ellis Island.

The 9/11 Memorial Plaza reopens and the waterfalls have resumed flowing.  The 9/11 Museum remains closed.

The High Line is open for its entire length, through 30th St., with timed entry and reduced hours.

Governors Island is open with timed entry for ferries.

Libraries in all five boroughs are open with grab-and-go service

• NYPL opened an additional 22 branches on Monday, Aug. 3

More than 9,000 NYC restaurants are open for outdoor dining.  Those 9,000 restaurants account for more than 80,000 jobs. 

• See our article on outdoor dining etiquette

NYC has closed more than 60 miles of streets near parks to improve social distancing.

Fifth Avenue Assn. photo

NYC Restaurant rules

Restaurants and bars are required to serve food, not drinks only, to prevent turning streets into crowded outdoor bars.  Restaurants and bars which violate the safety policy can lose their liquor license.

Official NY State order by Gov. Cuomo

• Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced new regulations for bars and restaurants in New York City to ensure they are complying with state social distancing and face covering orders.
• As part of the ‘Three Strikes and You’re Closed’ initiative, any establishment that receives three violations will be closed for business.
• Egregious violations can result in immediate loss of liquor license or closure before a third strike. Additionally, any establishment facing disciplinary charges by the State Liquor Authority will have its name and location posted publicly and updated on a weekly basis.
• If the state is alerted to similar noncompliance in other regions of the state, these restrictions will be extended to those areas immediately.

NYC summer school session are virtual, including virtual field trips.

• See our guide to FREE and cheap virtual summer camps for kids and teens 4-18.

NYC has added another 23 miles of vehicle-free streets, including seven miles of protected bike lanes, in residential areas.  Open Streets now total 67 miles.

NYC closes streets in all five boroughs on weekends for outdoor dining, to further help restaurants survive.

• See our guide to outdoor dining ettiquette, including tipping.
• See our Phase Three guide for details of what’s open.

The man who designed the iconic and world-famous I Love NY logo has passed away. Bronx-born and lifelong New Yorker Milton Glaser was 91. 

Social distancing, wearing a face covering in public remain in effect in NYC.

Broadway shows are suspended through January 2021, which means theaters remain dark over the Christmas and New Year’s holidays.

• See our Virtual Events calendar to find out what’s streaming now.
• See our article on which Broadway shows have closed permanently and which have postponed to 2021.

Alternate side of the street parking is just one day a week.

In New Jersey, nursing homes now allow outdoor visits, with social distancing, starting tomorrow.

NYC subways and buses and the Staten Island Ferry have returned to normal service, with social distancing rules.

Subway service remains closed 1am to 5am for cleaning, until further notice, which may change as more people return to work, including in the overnight hours.

The MTA has prepared new social distancing guidelines and hand sanitizer are available at stations.  New signage with the updated rules include  asking the public to where masks. Anyone not wearing a mask in mass transit will be provided one.

What’s Cancelled

The Radio City Christmas Spectacular is cancelled for the first time since the first show in 1933. 

Parent company MSG Entertainment, which owns the Radio City Music Hall, is laying off more than 350 people, including the world-famous Rockettes.

• The company also owns Madison Square Garden, the New York Knicks and the New York Rangers.
• Read the full story in the New York Post

The New York Philharmonic has cancelled its summer schedule, including the popular FREE concerts in NYC parks.

SummerStage free concerts in city parks are virtual this year. 

The New York Times Travel Show in January 2021, at the Javits Convention Center, has been cancelled.

NY State will pay death benefits to front-line and emergency service workers who succumb to COVID-19 in the line of duty.

For the first time ever, NYC subways are closed 1am to 5am daily for disinfectant cleaning. Additional bus service is being provided, as well as alternate transportation such as dollar vans.

NY State orders that renters can use security deposits to pay current rent.

NJ  orders that no state resident’s internet or phone service be shut off for a failure to pay until 30 days after the public health emergency had ended.

Health Resources

NYC has a  24-hour COVID-19 hotline for up to date information. Call (888) 364-3065.

If you are part of an at-risk population such as a senior or immuno-compromised and want testing, call (844) NYC-4NYC, or call 311 (save 911 for urgent emergencies).

Diagnostic testing sites are now open in some of the hardest-hit areas in NYC including:

• Harlem – outside Gotham Health Sydenham on 118th Street.  It’s a walk-in clinic to get the traditional nose and throat tests that determine if you currently have COVID-19.
• East New York, Brooklyn – NYC Health + Hospitals/Gotham Health, East New York. 2094 Pitkin Avenue
• Morrisania, Bronx – NYC Health + Hospitals/Gotham Health, Morrisania. 1225 Gerard Avenue
• Vanderbilt, Staten Island – NYC Health + Hospitals/Gotham Health, Vanderbilt. 165 Vanderbilt Ave
• Jamaica, Queens – NYC Health + Hospitals/Queens, Jamaica. 82-68 164th Street

Those who meet the testing criteria and would like to schedule an appointment call 1-888-ONEMED1 OR go to onemedical.com and use code NYCCARE30.

Virtual Urgent Care – NYU Langone offers 24/7 access to health experts for flu-like symptoms or other minor medical concerns.

• Visit www.nyulangone.org/VUC

NYC has a  24-hour COVID-19 hotline for up to date information.

• Call (888) 364-3065.

New Jersey has a dedicated website for Covid-19 updates. 

• Visit www.covid19.nj.gov.

NYC is providing 74,000 air conditioners to the poor and elderly, to help them stay at home safely and comfortably.

Meal Resources

New Yorkers in need can get FREE MEALS at more than 400 locations.

• Find a location near you.

Where to get FREE Kosher meals

Where to get FREE Halal meals

FREE meal delivery for elderly and housebound

Get $420 for groceries for your school children

NYCOTC has an Emergency Resourses hub page

to keep you up to date, including

How to Apply for Unemployment and Food Stamps

Special shopping hours for seniors & vulnerable

Where to get help

How to help frontline emergency workers

NYC on the Cheap has been updating this information weekly since March.

NYC Streets Closed to Traffic

More than 60 miles of streets in all five boroughs are closed to traffic 8am to 8pm to facilitate social distancing outdoors.

See the full list here.

In my neighborhood, kids are playing street hockey and soccer, adults are bringing out beach chairs and books.

What’s happening in your neighborhood?  Let us know.  Add a comment below.

Alternate side of the street parking tickets

• Any New Yorker under isolation who has received a ticket can appeal to the Department of Finance and  provide medical documentation or testimony, which will be taken into consideration when the case is reviewed.
• For any additional questions call 311.
• Payment at parking meters will remain in effect throughout the City

Additional Cancellations, Postponements, News

New York Philharmonic has cancelled its summer performance in order to protect its audience, musicians, and employees from COVID-19.

This affects the concerts in the parks; the performances in China as part of the Shanghai Orchestra Academy and Partnership; and the residency at Bravo! Vail Music Festival in Colorado.

The Philharmonic plans to resume all three annual appearances in the summer of 2021.

NYCOTC has added a Coronavirus category to stay up to date

The Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island remain closed by the National Park Service.

NYC has banned shared rides with strangers from app-based services. 

• Only shares from people who know one another, such as spouses or groups of friends will be permitted.

NYCOTC has added a Coronavirus hub page to keep you  up to date

• This NYCOTC report is compiled from press releases and other materials received by NYCOTC, news sources including NY Times, Eater NY, Crain’s, the Real Deal (real estate news), The Verge and from the official websites of the NYC and NY State governments.

Update on Broadway shows and tickets

Broadway shows now are shuttered through January 2021

According to the trade magazine Broadway News, ticket buyers had been frustrated by their inability to receive refunds for performances past April 12.

Now any patron who had tickets for performances through Labor Day will be contacted by their point of purchase with information on ticket exchanges and refunds.

Ticket refunds

Contact the theater or the company from which you purchased tickets, such as NYCOTC ticket partner Goldstar, for refunds or rebooking.

74th annual Tony Awards

Originaly scheduled for June 7, and postponed until an undecided date.

• Read the full story in the NYTimes.

New York Public Library (Manhattan, Bronx, Staten Island)

Queens Public Library, Brooklyn Public Library

Select branches reopen for grab-and-go service. 

Each system has its own rules

Metropolitan Museum of Art and The Cloisters

The Met is scheduled to reopen  August 29, The Cloisters in September.

The Met will open with its  150th anniversary exhibition, “Making The Met, 1870—2020,” which had been planned for March 23. No date has been announced for the re-opening.

The Met had closed previously for only two major events in NYC – for the days following  9/11 and Hurricane Sandy, according to this full story in the NYTimes.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute important fund-raiser annual Met Gala, scheduled for May 4, was postponed.  This year’s theme was to be “About Time: Fashion and Duration.”

Evelyn Kanter is a native New Yorker who has written for the NY Times, NY Daily News, NY Post, New York Magazine, and is a former on-air reporter for WCBS Newsradio 88 and WABC-TV Eyewitness News. 

Evelyn Kanter also is the author of several NYC and Hudson Valley guidebooks, including my latest, 100 Things to Do in NYC Before You Die.

Purchase autographed copies by emailing evelyn@evelynkanter.com