Nassau Coliseum Seating Expanded For Islanders Playoff Games

UNIONDALE, NY — As the New York Islanders head to the Stanley Cup playoffs, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that Nassau Coliseum would open a section for fully vaccinated fans to watch the games, increasing the capacity at the Barn.

The Islanders playoff games are expected to start on May 19. That day, Cuomo said that half of the Coliseum will be turned into a fully vaccinated fan section, with an empty seat between attendees. The seats will be assigned, and will be solely for fully vaccinated people.

"As our positivity and hospitalization rates go down and our vaccination numbers go up, we are readjusting our reopening strategy to get our economy back and up and running," Cuomo said. "The arrows are all pointed in the right direction, and we can now take yet another huge step forward and allow fully vaccinated fan sections to end the Islanders' last season at the Coliseum. The Islanders have always been Long Island's team, and this new measure to increase capacity will allow more of the team's passionate fan base to enjoy the final games at the Coliseum and help re-energize the team as they head into the playoffs."

According to Cuomo, fans in the vaccinated section will have to provide proof of their immunization status. It can either be the paper card they received, a digital application or the state's Excelsior Pass.

Those under 16 who are not yet eligible to be vaccinated may attend and sit with a fully vaccinated adult so long as they provide a recent negative coronavirus test result.

Social distancing and mask masks will still be required in the arena.

Nassau County Executive Laura Curran, who had petitioned Cuomo to expand the capacity at the Coliseum for the Islanders, was happy to hear the news.

"Yes! Yes! Yes!" she said in a statement. "I wrote a letter last week on this topic and I’m excited that the state is now moving to increase capacity at Nassau Coliseum in time for the playoffs. The more residents continue to roll up their sleeves, the quicker we’ll able to get to 100 percent capacity for everything.”

This is the last season the Islanders are scheduled to play at Nassau Coliseum, which has been the team's home for decades (except for the few years it moved to Brooklyn). The Islanders are building a new arena at Belmont Park, which is expected to open for the 2021-22 season and will be the team's new home.