Though not the most surprising news, Mayor de Blasio has announced that street fairs, festivals and parades are banned for the summer in NYC.
At least until September 30, to be exact.
The Mayor made the announcement at one of his daily press conferences last week, saying that all large events requiring a city events permit would be canceled through the end of September.
Besides COVID-19 safety concerns, the decision was made to also help ensure that open spaces continue to be available to the public. This, of course, includes locations that are part of the new Open Streets or Open Restaurants programs, and permits will be denied for any small events that want to use those same spaces.
As part of our ongoing effort to fight COVID-19, large gatherings are cancelled in New York City through September 30th. pic.twitter.com/KBujTxMWCy
— City of New York (@nycgov) July 9, 2020
Permits will also be denied for “all events larger than one block, stage/video events that require amplification, street fairs, and events in parks that may unreasonably diminish public use.”
This sadly includes the annual Little Italy festival the Feast of San Gennaro, which usually takes place in September, as well as parades like the Dominican Day Parade in midtown in August. This, of course, comes after large gatherings in June were canceled like the annual Pride March and Puerto Rican Day Parade.
“As New York has begun its reopening process, accessible open spaces are more important than ever,” he said. “While it pains me to call off some of the city’s beloved events, our focus now must be the prioritization of city space for public use and the continuation of social distancing.”
You can read more details about the new rules here.
In other news: NYC Schools Plan To Reopen In September, But Most Children Will Only Go In 2 Days A Week
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