New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said Sunday that the state’s ski resorts could reopen on November 6 with restrictions on sharing gondolas and face coverings required off the slopes amid the coronavirus pandemic. Capacity will be limited to 25% during “peak” days or if multiple trails are closed due to unseasonable conditions, and lessons will be limited to 10 people.
“You have to socially distance when you ski,” Cuomo said.
Indoor capacity will be limited to 50%, and masks must be worn unless people are eating or drinking.
The announcement comes one day after Cuomo announced a localized approach to deal with COVID-19 outbreaks. Cuomo insisted Sunday that “we are ready” for the fall with a strategy that “targets neighborhoods instead of regions.”
However, Cuomo said he expects these “micro-clusters” to continue throughout the fall.
Cuomo also said Sunday that the state had created a team of experts to help administer a COVID-19 vaccine, when it becomes available.
Over the weekend, New York City officials shut down an illegal party of more than 200 people who were violating coronavirus restrictions at a catering hall, CBS New York reports. Revelers at the Queens Luxe Banquet Hall early Saturday were not social distancing or wearing proper face coverings, according to the New York City Sheriff’s Office.
Cuomo announced on Saturday that movie theaters could open throughout most of the state at 25% capacity on October 23. This doesn’t include NYC.
Cuomo said Sunday that the positivity rate in New York state, once the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic, is 1.08% as the Midwest experiences a surge in COVID-19 cases. In what Cuomo called the “red zones,” the positivity rate is above 3%. On Saturday, the state reported 1,390 new positive cases and seven deaths. There were 913 people hospitalized with the virus.
“The numbers are moving in the right direction,” Cuomo said Sunday.