New York nightclubs and other music venues with a capacity of 5,000 and under will no longer be required to ask for proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test from attendees on entry.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo last week said that the State is lifting almost all remaining lockdown restrictions as a result of high vaccination uptake in the area, as well as the speedy rollout of the vaccination programme. 70 percent of New York residents aged 18 and over have received the first dose of their COVID-19 vaccine, as of last week.
"What New York has done is extraordinary. Not only do we have the lowest COVID positivity rate in the United States of America, we have hit 70 percent vaccination ahead of schedule. We successfully deployed the weapon that will win the war, and New York led the nation," Governor Cuomo was quoted as saying.
While measures have been relaxed for indoor events with a capacity of 5,000 and under, some restrictions still remain in place for events larger than that. For those large-scale indoor events, proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test shown prior to entry can
be used at the discretion of venue owners in order to ensure events can still go ahead without requiring social distancing or mask-wearing.
New York has led the way in the US in reopening venues over the last few weeks, with the rollout of the Excelsior Pass digital vaccine passport proving particularly useful.
