NJ Sporting, Concert Events Can Return To Normal Amid COVID

NEW JERSEY - Sports fans and live music lovers rejoice: Capacity limits and social distancing at sports arenas and entertainment venues will be gone by next month, allowing for full-capacity entertainment to return, Gov. Phil Murphy announced Monday.

Outdoor venues – including those that can accommodate over 1,000 people, such as MetLife Stadium and minor league baseball parks – may reopen to full capacity starting May 28. The 30 percent capacity limit at indoor venues will be lifted starting Friday, June 4.

“So if the [New Jersey] Devils had a game on June 4, could they sell out? The answer is yes,” Murphy said Monday.

The governor’s remarks come as part of an array of openings announced May 24, including a lift on indoor face mask use – including entertainment venues – and social distancing requirements by May 28.

Dance floors and bars and restaurants will also be reopened and all indoor gathering limits will be lifted on June 4. Read more: NJ To Lift COVID Indoor Mask Order, With Some Exceptions

Those who are not fully vaccinated are strongly encouraged to follow CDC guidance and wear a face mask in any indoor public setting, Murphy said. He also clarified that, while businesses asking for proof of COVID-19 vaccinations are not in violation of HIPAA laws, the increased vaccination rates in the state have not swayed his previous concerns about potential vaccine passports required to access certain areas of life.

“I’m open-minded to them, but there are huge equity challenges that we’re still dealing with,” Murphy said. “We’re making a good amount of progress, but we’re not there yet. If you magically put a vaccine passport into place today, even if you wouldn’t be intending to, you would be discriminating.”

Large outdoor entertainment venues were previously allowed to fill seats at 30 percent capacity. That expansion went into effect earlier this month.

Murphy pointed to increased COVID-19 vaccination numbers and current public health data as reasons to continue reopenings in the state. As of May 24, over 3.9 million people in the state are fully vaccinated and more than 52 percent of the Garden State’s 9.2 million residents have received at least one dose.