A cyclist passes the shuttered Broadhurst Theatre in Manhattan in...

A cyclist passes the shuttered Broadhurst Theatre in Manhattan in October. Credit: Craig Ruttle

Soon you could once again be giving your regards to Broadway.

September is the goal for reopening New York City’s Broadway Theater District, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Thursday. De Blasio said that beginning in weeks, those who work on Broadway and Off-Broadway will be targeted with dedicated coronavirus vaccine and testing sites. (The plan would not expand vaccine eligibility under state policy, however, and not all workers are eligible yet.)

Asked whether the Broadway League, the industry’s trade association, shares de Blasio's goal of a September reopening, league spokeswoman Martine Sainvil did not directly answer.

In an email, she wrote: "We are pleased that the City and the State are working with us to help get people back to work and to raise Broadway curtains once again. Vaccination and testing sites for theatre workers are a great step towards recovery and bringing Broadway back. Our community has suffered catastrophic losses, and the sooner we can return to share our stories in a safe and secure way, the better our city will be."

The league says that in the 2018-2019 season, the industry contributed $14.7 billion to the city economy, supported 96,900 jobs and had 14.8 million admissions. There are 41 official Broadway theaters.

Vicki Been, de Blasio’s deputy mayor for housing and economic development, said that the Broadway vaccination program would be used as a model for other performing arts, such as ballet, opera, and dance.

Once performances resume, the precautions that could be in place — social distancing, masking, capacity limits, and food and beverage service restrictions — would depend on infection and vaccination rates, said Dr. Jay Varma, de Blasio’s senior adviser on the coronavirus pandemic.

In mid-March 2020, by state order, theaters went dark, as did other public gatherings, as the pandemic first roared through New York. The press office for Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, who by his own executive order last year gave himself power to close and reopen public gatherings, did not return an email seeking comment.

Said de Blasio: "I predict a really wonderful summer in New York City with a lot more outdoor activity — jobs coming back, the economy coming back, the life of the city coming back," de Blasio said. "And then September: our schools come back in full, Broadway comes back and this city writes a story for the ages. The comeback in New York City will be one of the greatest moments in our history, and everyone will be an actor on that stage."

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