Yankees and Mets will offer free tickets with COVID vaccine shots at the games
The Yankees and Mets will offer free tickets to spectators who get vaccinated against COVID-19 at sites set up right at the game.
Fully vaccinated spectators will also be able to attend Yankees and Mets games in sections designated for 100% capacity starting this month, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced on Wednesday. Separate sections for unvaccinated guests will still enforce six feet of social distancing between parties, at 33% of total capacity.
The changes will go into effect on May 19.
"So if you love baseball (& protecting your community) — go to a game, get vaccinated & get a free ticket!" the governor tweeted.
Yankee Stadium has been home to a vaccine mega-site that's vaccinated tens of thousands of people, "but we need more ... because in my opinion, and in the Yankees' opinion, that's how we get back to normalcy," said Yankees president Randy Levine, who spoke Wednesday at a press conference alongside Cuomo.
At the Mets' Citi Field, 2,000 individuals are being vaccinated per day, and the site is in the process of opening a drive-thru lane, which will further increase capacity, according to Mets president Sandy Alderson.
"The fans are what make the game. Fans are also what make memories, and they make memories for players as well as themselves," said Alderson. "And with this new opportunity for us, I think that we will get more families to the ballpark, we will have more kids in the ballpark, and we'll return to creating those memories that are so important and so part of our lives."
In addition to the baseball initiative, Cuomo announced at his briefing Wednesday that Broadway shows will reopen at 100% capacity on September 14.