New York City baseball fans can receive a free ticket to a Mets or Yankees game by getting a COVID-19 vaccine at the stadium.
New York governor Andrew Cuomo announced the agreement Wednesday, tweeting that “The Mets, the Yankees and the New York State Department of Health are teaming up so that when you go to a game you can get a vaccine right at the stadium. When you do, you’ll get a free ticket. So if you love baseball (& protecting your community) — go to a game, get vaccinated & get a free ticket!”
The announcement came on the same day that Cuomo updated New York’s COVID-19 numbers, noting that there are 2,458 total hospitalizations, and 2,463 of the 165,597 tests reported Tuesday came back positive.
The Yankees’ and Mets’ pre-game sites will use the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. The more fans that receive the vaccine, the more the atmosphere at Mets and Yankees games will return to normal. Cuomo announced Wednesday that starting May 19, Yankee Stadium in the Bronx and Citi Field in Flushing will have full capacity seating sections available for fully vaccinated people.
The capacity will be 33 percent for unvaccinated people, while masks are required for all fans. Reuters reported that Cuomo said unvaccinated people will still have to follow six-feet distancing regulations, while fans will need to show proof of vaccination in order to get into the restricted areas. Sports Illustrated reported that children 15 years old and younger will be allowed to accompany their families to games in the vaccinated sections.
Yankee Stadium and Citi Field have been operating at 20 percent capacity since the start of the season.
The Yankees released a statement saying, “We want to thank Governor Cuomo for his decision, which will allow more fans into Yankee Stadium and provide us additional opportunities to further encourage people to get vaccinated. We have been honored to host a vaccination site at Yankee Stadium over these last three months. If we can encourage more people to get vaccinated by giving away Yankees tickets, we are all in. So come to the ballpark, get vaccinated, and root for the Yankees! We also want to thank Mayor de Blasio, who also gave his strong support for this program.”
