With Feb. 10^th marking the 40th straight day of declining COVID-19 positivity rates statewide, Gov. Andrew Cuomo has announced that indoor family entertainment centers and amusement parks will be able to reopen with restrictions in March and April.

Indoor entertainment centers and amusement parks would be able to reopen on March 26 with an initial 25% capacity limit,and outdoor amusement parks can open on April 9 with a 33% capacity limit.

Cuomo also stated the possibility of summer camps reopening within New York State, with hopes of keeping the current speed of administering vaccines.

Day and overnight camps have the possibility of opening back up in June, with the Department of Health setting up guidance.

“They’re going to have to have a testing protocol, but by the way, no parent is going to send their child to a summer camp unless there’s a testing protocol anyway,” Cuomo said.

Earlier, he had announced the reopening of major stadiums and arenas for sports and entertainment, which will be allowed a capacity of 10,000 or more beginning on Feb. 23, and restaurants are allowed to reopen indoor dining at 25% capacity.

“As we’ve said time and time again, our success will be dictated by our actions and as long as we stay united and keep carrying this momentum forward in a positive direction, we will be able to see more and more sectors of our economy reopen,” Cuomo stated in his teleconference.

These new reopenings correlate with the current speed of vaccines being administered statewide, with 3.3 million COVID-19 vaccines already dispersed. This includes one million second doses, as well as a decline from the post-holiday-surge, according to Cuomo.

As indoor and outdoor parks and recreational centers begin to open, people will have to follow already set guidelines including wearing facemasks, enforcing social distancing, mandatory health screening and disinfecting high-population areas throughout the day.

In compliance with these guidelines, Cuomo has also added additional rules and regulations that these businesses must follow, including collecting contact information from customers for contact tracing when required and requiring attractions to be shut down if they cannot ensure adequate distancing and disinfection.

Regulations on the basis of buying tickets will also be enforced, with tickets being sold and bought in advance. Entry and exit waiting times should be alternated between patrons to avoid congestion.

“A monumental win for theme parks, this news is especially significant for LEGOLAND New York Resort which will celebrate its grand opening this year, becoming the first theme park to open in the Northeast in more than four decades,” Legoland New York Resort stated, regarding the new reopening status.

Numerous amusement parks and resorts in New York State have expressed their views towards the reopening, describing it as a sense of oncoming stability among the communities as well as the economy as the world begins to open up again.

Southern Brooklyn leaders also chimed in on the reopening, saying, “After months of steadfast advocacy, we are very grateful to Governor Cuomo for announcing that outdoor amusements will be allowed to reopen on April 9… and continuing to advocate for relief that addresses the needs of seasonal amusement parks, from the federal, state, and local governments.”

With the current reopening of amusement parks and recreational outdoor and indoor centers underway, the possibility of there being an uptick in COVID-19 cases is high, and so precautions and safety measures must be taken to ensure family fun and good health.