New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said theatres on Broadway will fully reopen in September after going dark for more than a year due to the pandemic.
Mr Cuomo also announced that New York City baseball stadiums will give away tickets to those who agree to be vaccinated outside games and that separate seating areas will accommodate vaccinated and unvaccinated fans.
Broadway tickets will go on sale beginning on Thursday and theatres will be able to open at 100 per cent capacity, Mr Cuomo said in a Wednesday briefing.
"Broadway is [a] major part of our state's identity and economy, and we are thrilled that the curtains will rise again," he wrote.
Live theatre is one of the last sectors to come back after the pandemic because of the challenges of social distancing for actors onstage, crews backstage and audiences in cramped seating in old buildings.
While New York plans to lift most pandemic restrictions in two weeks, Broadway theatres need more time for rehearsals, marketing to draw crowds and other steps.
"Restarting Broadway is a complex endeavour," said Charlotte St Martin, president of the Broadway League. "Today's green light by the governor to put our shows on sale now for the fall is vital to our success."
Producers will work with state authorities on what safety measures will be required. It is possible theatres will mandate proof of a coronavirus vaccination for audience members, New York budget director Robert Mujica said.
Thousands of actors, dancers, musicians and backstage crew were thrown out of work when Broadway theatres closed in March 2020. Some shows, including the hit musicals Frozen and Mean Girls have said they will not return.
Thirty-one Broadway shows were in production when the shutdown began, including hits such as Hamilton, The Lion King and Wicked.
Each returning show will announce its reopening date in the coming weeks, the Broadway League said.
New York's Major League Baseball teams are doing their part to help encourage people to be vaccinated.
"If we can encourage more people to get vaccinated by giving away Yankees tickets, we are all in," the New York Yankees said in a statement, which added that the team's stadium has acted a vaccination site.
The offer of baseball tickets that are free of charge, which follows several other vaccine incentives promoted by state and local officials, comes with a plan to separate vaccinated from unvaccinated spectators starting May 19, Mr Cuomo said.
Baseball stadiums will be divided into sections where vaccinated fans can fill seats without restrictions, while those who have not been vaccinated will be relegated to areas where seating is limited to 33 per cent capacity, he said.
"So, if you're vaccinated, that's one category; you're unvaccinated, that's another category," Mr Cuomo clarified.
"For unvaccinated people, the six-foot distancing applies, with masks," he said, and added that fans would need to show proof of vaccination, including the state's "Excelsior Pass", to be admitted to the ballparks' unrestricted areas.
The pregame inoculation sites in New York will use the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine, he said.
About 44 per cent of New York City's population has had at least one Covid-19 vaccine dose, while 33 per cent have been fully vaccinated.
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A man without a mask crosses a street in Manhattan, New York, on April 27, 2021, after the CDC said Americans vaccinated against Covid-19 no longer need to mask up outdoors when there is no crowd. AFP -
People biking down a road kiss in Manhattan, New York on April 27, 2021, following guidance fully vaccinated people no longer need to mask up outdoors when there is no crowd nearby. AFP -
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio talks to people who just got vaccinated against the coronavirus disease while standing under the iconic model of a blue whale in the Milstein Family Hall of Ocean Life, at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, on April 23, 2021. The museum is serving as a Covid-19 vaccination site. Reuters -
Javier Morena receives his first dose of the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine at the Jewish Community Center, a pop up vaccine clinic on April 16, 2021 in the Staten Island borough of New York City. AFP -
People walk past a flower bed planted in tulips in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, US, on April 28, 2021. Reuters -
A person sits in Bryant Park after the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention announced new guidelines regarding outdoor mask wearing and vaccination for the pandemic in Manhattan, New York City, New York, US, on April 27, 2021. Reuters -
People walk past a flower bed planted in tulips in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, US, on April 28, 2021. Reuters -
People move through a New York City subway station on April 13, 2021 in New York City, wearing face masks. The city's transit authority announced that it has seen the highest daily number since the pandemic struck New York. AFP -
People walk through LaGuardia Airport on April 26, 2021 in New York City. As the number of the people vaccinated against Covid-19 increases throughout the nation, people are beginning to travel by air again. Nearly 1.6 million Americans flew on April 18, 2021 while just over 105,000 Americans flew on the same day in 2020. AFP
