JACK STONE TRUITT, BYLINE: From Columbia Radio News, in New York, I’m Jack Stone Truitt
TRUITT: Citi Field is now open as a ‘mega vaccination’ site. The stadium has the capacity to vaccinate 5,000 people per day ... though there are currently only around 200 daily appointments available. Mayor De Blasio stated a goal of reaching full capacity next week.
BILL De BLASIO: “It’s going to be building up more all the time. We’re going to get to a 24/7 basis, that’s our goal.”
TRUITT: The Mets ballpark is the latest New York stadium to become a vaccination site. Yankee Stadium was converted to vaccinate Brox residents last week. Appointments at Citi Field will be reserved for Queens residents only. The Mayor said he is hoping that Barclay’s Center in Brooklyn will also become a site.
TRUITT: Limited crowds will soon be able to return to the state’s sports arenas and performance halls. Yesterday Governor Cuomo announced a plan to allow venues with 10,000 or more seats to reopen at 10% capacity later this month.
ANDREW CUOMO: “While we’re doing vaccines, and while we’re controlling the spread of covid, we also have to at the same time get this economy open intelligently and in a balanced way.”
TRUITT: Guidelines from the state health department require anyone attending a performance or sporting event to have tested negative for COVID within 72 hours, and adhere to assigned socially distant seating. Face coverings and temperature checks will also be required. The announcement comes after the Buffalo Bills successfully implemented these measures for a game in January. The Brooklyn Nets will host the first approved event under these guidelines at Barclays Center on February 23rd.
TRUITT: Bruce Springsteen is facing drunken driving charges after he was arrested riding his motorcycle near the Jersey Shore in November. The music icon reportedly had a blood alcohol level of .02--well below the legal limit--at the time of his arrest. He is due to appear in court in the next few weeks.
TRUITT: New Yorkers woke up to another inch or two of snow this morning. And the cold snap will continue as temperatures dip back into the teens tomorrow and Saturday. The city has already surpassed it’s yearly average snowfall this season, with two more feet than last winter. It’s currently 30 degrees and cloudy in Central Park.
TRUITT: For Columbia Radio News, I’m Jack Stone Truitt.
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