Curran Calls For 50% Capacity At Coliseum For Islanders Games

UNIONDALE, NY — In a letter to the governor, Nassau County Executive Laura Curran called on the state to increase the capacity restriction at Nassau Coliseum to 50 percent, which would allow more fans to attend Islanders games at the Barn.

Currently, large arenas like the Coliseum are allowed to operate ate 10 percent capacity. But Curran is asking the governor to allow it to hold more fans, citing the high number of Nassau residents who have been vaccinated against the coronavirus.

"Since the announcement permitting large arenas to reopen at 10 percent capacity in early February, New York has made outstanding progress in its vaccination drive. This is especially true in Nassau County, where 46 percent of our total population has already received at least one dose of the vaccine,” Curran wrote. “While we continue to battle COVID-19, we must also continue reopening our economy and society in a common-sense manner."

Curran is asking the state to allow the higher capacity at the Coliseum by May 7 for the remaining Islanders games of the season. The Coliseum has a seating capacity of just under 14,000 for hockey, meaning the increase would allow around 7,000 fans in the seats at a time. This is the Islanders last season playing at the Coliseum before the team moves to its new home at the UBS Arena at Belmont Park this fall.

In addition to holding Islanders home games, the Coliseum is also currently a county vaccination site.

Curran said the increased capacity would not affect other health measures at the Coliseum, like mandatory mask wearing and contactless interactions between fans and staff.

"As you know, the Islanders are ingrained in the fabric of Long Island," Curran wrote. "With this being the last season at the Coliseum before the big move to Belmont, my hope is that by increasing capacity to 50 percent, we can give more Isles fans the opportunity to safely 'Rock the Barn' one last time.”