New York, we love you, but you’re bringing us down

On today’s segment of “What the fuck is happening in New York City?,” Andrew Cuomo just announced that live performances can come back again next month with limited capacity.

According to The New York Times, arts venues can reopen starting April 2 at 33% capacity, with a limit of up to 100 people indoors and 200 people outdoors. Of course, all attendees need to wear masks and be socially distanced. The limit of people allowed could increase if and when venues are able to test attendees for COVID-19.

In case you’re wondering, “But wait, weren’t there cases of one of the new COVID strains in NYC recently and isn’t there still a large number of people testing positive for COVID?,” the answer is yes! Fortunately, the vaccine rollout is gaining speed in New York City. Unfortunately, most of the population remains unvaccinated.

As much as we all miss live music and spending $20 on a mediocre drink while seeing a Broadway show from shitty seats, it definitely can wait. It would make more sense if venues only allowed attendees who’ve had both doses of the vaccine (or the newly available single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine), but that doesn’t seem to be the case. And if you want to support musicians, you can buy their music and merch. So, remember, just because venues are opening again, it doesn’t mean you should pretend the pandemic’s over.