In a press conference Wednesday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said other live entertainment venues should not use Broadway’s current reopening date as guidance.
“I wouldn’t use what Broadway thinks as a barometer of anything,” Cuomo said in response to a question Wednesday.
The Broadway League extended its closure of Broadway theaters Wednesday through June 7, after initially setting a 30-day closure. Cuomo cautioned other large event organizers not to rely on that guidance, saying that he preferred to look to numbers of COVD-19 cases and advice from public health experts.
He said that before patrons return to Broadway theaters, they will first have to be able to return to work or to school. And though schools in New York are currently closed through April 29, Cuomo called that date “a projection” that could change.
“Before they go to a play, there’s going to be a lot of other questions that they ask,” Cuomo said.
Allowing New Yorkers to go back to work or other places of business will be dependent on having a low enough number of new COVID-19 cases. On Wednesday, Cuomo said New York saw its biggest one-day increase in deaths, reaching 779 deaths in the last 24 hours.
He added that current models could change based on how well the public practices social distancing and staying at home. Re-opening places of business, including theaters, will also require coordinated regional response in the tri-state area, he said.
“I’m more afraid of the number changing and the curve changing because people read something into it that’s not there,” he said.
