New York, along with neighbors New Jersey and Connecticut will welcome back crowds on May 19, according to state officials Monday.
Restaurants, offices, retail shops, theaters, museums and other locations will be allowed to operate at full capacity in mid-May for the first time since early 2020.
New York’s Gov. Andrew Cuomo said New York City’s subway will begin 24/7 service again a few days before on May 17.
Subways had been closing for a few hours overnight to allow for stations to be disinfected.
Cuomo did acknowledge on Monday the reopening plan may not be practical for some businesses.
Reopening plans will still have to abide by the CDC guidelines to slow the spread of coronavirus, which recommend six feet of space between people. Cuomo said businesses would not have to follow those spacing rules if they require everyone present to show proof of being fully-vaccinated or a negative coronavirus test.
Cuomo said he worked with New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy and Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont on a regional reopening plan.
Gov. Murphy said his state was reopening with similar rules as New York, and that if the CDC revised their six-foot distance guidance, his state would do the same.
In Connecticut, May 19 will see remaining restrictions lifted, except that masks will continue to be required in all indoor public settings when social distancing is not possible.
Once the epicenter of America’s coronavirus outbreak, the New York City area and surrounding states have seen declining infection rates.
As with the rest of the country, vaccination rates have leveled, and some are doing what they can to encourage people to get vaccinated.
Gov. Murphy tweeted a “shot and a beer” program his state is doing, which will give a free beer to any New Jerseyan who gets their first vaccine shot in the month of May.