Many NYC institutions are temporary closing and/or postponing events to help the city limit the spread of COVID-19.
Here’s a full list so you can keep track, and it will be updated as more announcements are made. We have copied statements directly from the organizations when possible.
1. All bars, restaurants, concert venues, and theaters
Bill de Blasio has announced via Twitter that, as of Tuesday (March 17) at 9 a.m., “Nightclubs, movie theaters, small theater houses, and concert venues must all close.” He also states that restaurants, bars and cafes that serve food will only be allowed to offer take-out and delivery options.
2. All NYC Public Schools
3. Broadway / Any Events With Over 500 People
Governor Cuomo announced that all public gatherings of 500 or more individuals in attendance to be cancelled or postponed. Broadway went dark on the evening of Thursday, March 12 at 5pm, while other venues have until 5pm this evening, Friday, March 13 to adhere to the new guidelines. Of course then this includes:
4. Madison Square Garden/Barclays Center
MSG: The Madison Square Garden Company supports Governor Cuomo’s decision regarding New York venues. We encourage you to check back to this site, which will be your source for further details about our future events, which we will update regularly as more information becomes available.
Barclays: 2020 Atlantic 10 Conference Championship at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. has been cancelled, as announced by Commissioner Bernadette V. McGlade. Upcoming concert tours have also been canceled.
5. The Metropolitan Museum of Art
We will be closing all three locations—The Met Fifth Avenue, The Met Breuer, and The Met Cloisters—temporarily starting March 13, to support New York City’s effort to contain the spread of COVID-19. The Museum will undertake a thorough cleaning and plans to announce next steps early next week.
6. Metropolitan Opera
In light of the circumstances involving the coronavirus and in consultation with the Office of the Mayor of New York City, we regret to inform our audience that all Met performances have been canceled through March 31.
7. Lincoln Center
We stand in solidarity with our arts colleagues in New York and around the world many of whom, like us, have shut their doors due to Coronavirus.
For the foreseeable future, we’ll be sharing footage regularly on our social channels—rarely seen video from decades of #LiveFromLincolnCenter, recent performances from across campus, & live streams from wherever shows are still happening–empty halls, living rooms, & more.
8. Carnegie Hall
With the health and safety of the public, our artists, and our staff as our foremost priority, Carnegie Hall has cancelled all events from Friday, March 13 through Tuesday, March 31, 2020, in an effort to reduce the spread of the new coronavirus (COVID-19). This includes programming presented by the Hall’s Weill Music Institute—whether taking place at Carnegie Hall or an offsite location—and all free Carnegie Hall Citywide performances in venues across New York City.
9. New York Public Libraries
After carefully considering a multitude of factors and the rapidly changing situation in New York City around novel coronavirus (COVID-19), all New York Public Library locations will be closed to the public beginning on Saturday, March 14 through at least Tuesday, March 31.
We made this decision to support the overall health and wellness of our communities and for the safety of our patrons and staff. It was a difficult decision, as we care deeply about serving the public, but the responsible thing to do—and the best way to serve our patrons right now—is to help minimize the spread of COVID-19.
10. Live TV Show Tapings
Some of the country’s favorite LIVE TV shows are filmed here, and most are halting taping with a studio audience. The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Late Night with Seth Meyers, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Full Frontal with Samantha Bee, Last Week Tonight, and The Daily Show with Trevor Noah have all announced this measure for the next week or longer. Live With Kelly and Ryan and The View started without audiences on Wednesday. They all say it is a precautionary measure.
11. The St. Patrick’s Day 259th Annual Parade
For the first time since 1762, the New York City St. Patrick’s Day parade has been suspended. With about 250,000 marchers and 1 to 2 million spectators in Manhattan every year, they are hoping to proactively contain the spread of the virus. Mayor Bill De Blasio states that it is postponed, and even if it has to be in the middle of the summer, will be rescheduled.
12. New-York Historical Society
In response to heightened concerns relating to the spread of novel coronavirus COVID-19, the New-York Historical Society will close temporarily as of Friday, March 13 at 6 PM until the end of March. All onsite programs will be cancelled through the end of April. These decisions were made to support New York City’s efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19 and to prioritize the health of our staff and visitors.
Although no case of COVID-19 has been connected to the Museum, we are taking these preventive measures out of an abundance of caution to help ensure everyone’s safety. Visitors who have purchased tickets to a program will be contacted shortly to arrange either a refund or a ticket-to-donation to New-York Historical.
13. Museum of the City of New York
In the interest of safety for our staff and visitors, the Museum of the City of New York will be closed to the public starting this Friday March 13th for cleaning and sanitizing of the building. The Museum has no known cases of staff testing positive for Coronavirus at this time.
Public and education programs, field trips, and private tours will be temporarily suspended, and we will not be able to administer the 2020 Census during this time.
14. Brooklyn Museum
Due to increasing health concerns in connection with the novel coronavirus, and as a matter of care for our staff, visitors, community, and city, the Brooklyn Museum will be closing to the public starting tomorrow, Friday, March 13. We are also postponing or cancelling all programs until further notice.
15. Museum of the Moving Image
As a matter of public health, to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in New York City, the Museum is canceling all public programming this weekend, including screenings, tours, and family programs. Museum galleries will continue to be open today (3/13), and a statement will be sent at 5:00 p.m. about the status of public hours moving forward.
16-20. MoMA
Nothing is more important to us than your health and safety, and we take seriously our responsibility as civic institutions that serve the public good. With that in mind, after consulting with public health experts and city and state officials, we have temporarily closed The Museum of Modern Art, MoMA PS1, and the MoMA Design Stores on 53rd Street and in Soho, and postponed all Museum events.
We will remain closed through March 30, and will continue to monitor developments with the novel coronavirus outbreak (COVID-19) and regularly reassess this temporary closure.
Other museums include but are not limited to:
- The Morgan Library & Museum
- New York Botanical Garden
- Guggenheim Museum
- Whitney Museum
- Jewish Museum
21. The United Nations – to the public
We regret to inform you that in an abundance of caution and as a preventative measure amidst the current coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, United Nations Headquarters is closed to the public and guided tours have been suspended effective immediately until March 31.
Existing reservations will be fully refunded and you will receive an email confirmation in due course.
22. CUNY & SUNY Campuses, Most Private Universities
During a press conference on March 11, Governor Cuomo said the city and state universities would be moving to “distance learning” to help reduce large numbers of people in confined spaces due to the spread of COVID-19. Private schools including Columbia, Barnard, Fordham, Yeshiva University, St. John’s University, the Juilliard School, St. Joseph’s, Pace University, and John Jay College have also switched to online-only classes through the rest of the week, and many until further notice.
23. New York International Auto Show
As a result of the ongoing health concerns from the spread of the coronavirus in the region, the New York International Auto Show has been rescheduled to August 28 – September 6, 2020.
“We are taking this extraordinary step to help protect our attendees, exhibitors and all participants from the coronavirus,” said Mark Schienberg, president of the Greater New York Automobile Dealers Association, the organization that owns and operates the New York Auto Show.
24. NYC Half Marathon
At New York Road Runners, the welfare of our running community is always our top priority. Due to the rapidly developing coronavirus (COVID-19) situation, the NYC Half, scheduled for Sunday, March 15, and the accompanying Rising New York Road Runners youth event, have been cancelled. We appreciate the support of New York City officials through this complicated decision-making process.
Due to the scale of the race during this unprecedented time, runners who registered directly with NYRR will be contacted in the next few days with the option to select either a full refund of their entry fee or guaranteed non-complimentary entry to the 2021 NYC Half next March (exact date TBD). Runners who gained entry through a charity or tour operator should reach out directly to that organization for the options available to them. More info here.
featured image source: Facebook / The Metropolitan Museum of Art