Cuomo to Reopen Large Indoor Areas to 25% on May 19

   Cuomo announced today that on May 19, large indoor areas will open to 25% capacity, and museums and zoos will open to 50% capacity, and movie theaters will open to 33% capacity on May 26.

   “This is the season for renewal and or change,” said the governor at a press conference. “This is when New Yorkers do what New Yorkers do best, which is to rebuild.”

   Gov. Cuomo explained that as COVID positivity and hospitalization rates continue to decline, New Yorkers should “get into the mindset of post-9/11 and post-Hurricane Sandy,” in that the state is not just “reopening, but reimagining and rebuilding what should be.”

   The governor, who said that he has dealt with many federal disasters, said that as is the case in a home that has been damaged by a flood, homeowners do not just rebuild what was, but they “rebuild better, newer, and modern,” the state should now do the same.

   “We need to keep thinking, ‘How do we build back better?’” said the governor, who pointed out the state’s aggressive building campaign to rebuild Penn Station, the new Moynihan Train Hall, which is an extension of Penn Station, and a new Port Authority Bus Terminal.  “We need to ask ourselves, ‘How do we use this opportunity for our advantage?

    “Our goal is to make the state better than ever.”

    “The state that rebuilds the best and the fastest will have the best economic opportunities in the future.”

    “Build big, and make it happen.”

 (Photo by: Don Pollard / Office of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo)