Perhaps to the dismay of office employees who planned to spend the summer working from their backyards, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Monday that office capacity will be expanded starting May 15.
Under the new guidelines, offices will be able to fill their space to 75 percent of capacity, up from the current 50 percent.
Other facilities will also see restrictions eased. Gyms outside of New York City will go from 33 percent to 50 percent and casinos and gaming facilities from 25 percent to 50 percent.
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In good news for the Yankees and Mets, among others, on May 19, outdoor stadiums will be able to ramp up to 33 percent from 20 percent.
While New Yorkers figure to take advantage of lifestyle and entertainment venues reopening, getting them back to the office could be tougher. As of early March, just 10 percent of Manhattan office employees had returned to the workplace, according to a report from the Partnership for New York City.
Furthermore, only about 45 percent of employees will be back in offices by September, according to a survey of employers released last month by the Partnership for New York City. And 56 percent of employers said that their employees will work remotely at least some of the time.
Earlier this month, other capacity restrictions were also eased, including for museums, zoos and movie theaters.