By Madelia Hickman Ring

NEW YORK CITY – As New York City stands at the brink of reopening on a limited version of Phase Four, cultural institutions and museums remain closed even as professional sports teams are allowed to play to empty stadiums and zoos and botanical gardens can allow reduced capacity crowds. During a press briefing on Friday, July 17, Governor Andrew Cuomo said, “I feel like we’re standing on a beach and we’re looking out at the sea and we see the second wave building in the distance, so I want all New Yorkers to be on high alert.”

The National Park Service has announced that the grounds of the Statue of Liberty will reopen but that the statue, the adjacent museum and Ellis Island would continue to be shuttered. Also remaining closed are gyms, malls and indoor restaurant dining.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art had earlier announced it will reopen for limited capacity on August 29, pending state and city approval; it is the first of the city’s major museums to announce reopening.

New York City, which has seen the bulk of the state’s confirmed coronavirus cases and deaths, began reopening June 8, after the rest of the state. A definitive timeline for expanding Phase Four has not been announced.