Are You Still Required to Wear a Mask at a New York Concert?

No more rules! Let's go to a concert! According to New York Upstate, indoor and outdoor stadiums, theaters, arenas and concert venues can now operate at 100% capacity. Vaccinated and unvaccinated alike can fill the seats as long as the venue is on board with it. In other words, New York state is saying it's ok to return to normal but each venue, large or small, can have their own policies.

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Governor Cuomo announced that 70% of adults in New York have at least one dose of a COVID vaccine. With that I wondered if it's now ok to safely fill the clubs, theaters and arenas with fans and the music we have been longing to hear. Let's take a look at what the "return to normal" really means for concerts around the Capital Region.

• No more capacity limits. 100% capacity is allowed.
• Goodbye 6 foot, social distancing rules.
• Required vaccination proof is no longer required
• Checking for COVID-19 test results no longer required
• Unvaccinated will still be asked to wear a mask

UNLESS the venue you are going to has their own policy in place. They could ask for proof of vaccine. They could separate guests with social distancing and they could ask for a negative test result.

For an outdoor amphitheater such as SPAC, some rules still apply.

For the vaccinated at a large venue:

• No distancing required
• No masks required
• Proof of vaccination IS still required

For the unvaccinated at a large venue:

• Must still prove a negative GOVID-19 test result
• Must wear masks.

Even the large venues can issue their own policies of precautions if that is what they choose to do. They’re just no longer required to do any of that by the state.