Recreation is gradually returning to the area as rules resulting from the Covid-19 epidemic are gradually easing.
Town of Huntington tennis and pickleball courts are now open, with safety measures in place, including a requirement to practice social distancing of 6 feet or more. Visitors must wear a face mask when distancing of 6 feet or more is not possible.
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said Saturday that horse racing tracks, without fans, will be allowed to open statewide June 1 and that the Watkins Glen racetrack will also be reopening.
On Friday, he announced a multi-state agreement, effective next Friday, for state beaches to reopen.
“The agreement is New York, New Jersey Connecticut Delaware will all be opening beaches, for the Memorial Day weekend. States will have different specific rules about what happens on that beach,” Cuomo said. “If New Jersey opens beaches or Connecticut opens beaches and we didn’t open beaches, you would see a flood of people to Connecticut, and New Jersey… We want what’s best for New York but we want what’s best for New Yorkers.”
Concessions will be closed.
The rules are:
State and local beaches and lakeshores in New York State may open the Friday before Memorial Day Weekend on the following minimum conditions:
- Mandating no more than 50 percent capacity by ensuring controlled exits/entrances and limiting parking
- Prohibiting group contact activities, including sports (e.g. volleyball, football)
- Keeping areas of social gathering closed (e.g. designated picnic areas, playgrounds, pavilions, arcades, amusement rides)
- Enforcing social distancing measures for both employees and visitors
- Requiring masks to be worn by all employees and visitors when social distancing is not possible
- Closing concessions
- Ensuring staff levels are adequate to achieve these measures and enforce crowd control.
City, town and county beaches may open on the same conditions subject to local government home rule:
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- Local government must fully enforce minimum rules and may impose additional conditions
- If local governments do not enforce minimum rules, the beach will be closed
- Locals must notify the public by Wednesday, May 20 of their intention to open
- Beaches can open on Friday before Memorial Day Weekend, May 22.