The Open Streets program has opened some streets next to and within parks to make it safer and easier for pedestrians and cyclists to practice social distancing while outdoors. 

Open Streets are available daily from 8 AM to 8 PM (unless otherwise noted).

No through traffic is allowed when Open Streets are in effect. Vehicle traffic is limited only to local deliveries, pick-ups/drop-offs, necessary city service vehicles, utility vehicles, and emergency vehicles. 

100 miles of car-free streets will eventually be opened. If you're interested in having streets in your community considered for the Open Streets program, you can fill out an online survey.

For questions about Open Streets please contact your NYC DOT Borough Commissioner's office.

Businesses and Services

The State issued an Executive Order that all non-essential businesses must close in-personnel functions. Businesses that rely on in-office workers must decrease their in-office workforce by 100%, excluding essential services.

Essential services exempt from the order include:

• Banks and related financial institutions
• Bike repair shops
• Grocery and food production
• Healthcare providers
• Laundromats
• Media
• Restaurants, bars, and cafes (Limited to food take-out and delivery only. These establishments will be provided a waiver for carry-out alcohol.)
• Pharmacies
• Shipping
• Taxis and car services
• Utilities
• Warehousing

Get information and guidance on essential services under the State Executive Order.

Non-essential services include:

• Casinos, gyms, nightclubs, movie theaters, small theater houses, and concert and entertainment venues
• Shopping malls, amusement parks, and bowling alleys
• Barbershops, hair salons, tattoo or piercing salons, nail salons, hair removal services, and related personal care services

Complaints

Visit the Social Distancing Complaint page to report:

• A business or location that's open but is required to be closed
• An essential business that's open but isn’t complying with necessary restrictions
• Overcrowding at a business, park, or other location

If you are an employee and your employer isn't complying with the order, visit the Labor Law page.

Construction

The Governor has ordered that all non-essential construction must shut down as of March 27, 2020. Essential and Emergency Construction may continue.

The Executive Order defines Essential Construction as work on:

• Roads
• Bridges
• Transit facilities
• Utilities
• Hospitals or health care facilities
• Affordable housing and homeless shelters

Emergency Construction is defined as:

• Projects necessary to protect the health and safety of the occupants
• Continuing a project that would be unsafe to allow to remain undone, until it is safe to shut the site

This order doesn't apply to work being done by a single worker or if there is only one employee or worker at a job site.

Learn more about the Executive Order.

Complaints

To report non-essential construction or demolition work in progress, visit the Non-Essential Construction Complaint page.

To keep New Yorkers healthy and safe during the pandemic, the State and City have issued new guidelines and are enforcing rules related to social distancing.

Stay home except for:

• Essential needs and tasks, such as getting groceries
• Getting medical care
• Solitary exercise
• Work, if you work for an essential business or service

If you must leave your home:

• Keep at least 6 feet of distance between yourself and others.
• Wear a mask or a face covering when social distancing is not possible, including on public transportation, in stores, and on crowded sidewalks.
• Bike or walk if possible. Don’t take public transportation unless you need to.
• Stagger working hours, if possible. For example, instead of 9 AM to 5 PM, change some work hours to 10 AM to 6 PM or 8 AM to 4 PM.

Matilda’s Law

The State has enacted Matilda’s Law to protect New Yorkers age 70 and older and those with compromised immune systems.

If you are in one of these groups, please:

• Remain indoors
• Go outside only for solitary exercise
• Pre-screen all visitors by taking their temperature
• Wear a mask in the company of others
• Stay at least 6 feet from others
• Do not take public transportation unless urgent and absolutely necessary

Public Parks

New York City parks are open, but playgrounds and some other facilities and spaces are closed. For a list of closures, visit the Parks page.

All park goers are asked to take extra precautions to stay healthy and safe. Solo exercise is allowed, but team sports (such as basketball, football, softball, and soccer) are not allowed in parks at this time.

Please keep at least 6 feet of distance between yourself and others when outside and avoid gathering in groups.

The City is increasing social distancing in parks that have a mix of tight spaces and large crowds.

The City will limit capacity at:

• Sheep Meadow in Central Park
• Hudson River Park Piers 45 and 46

And closely monitor:

• Domino Park
• The Rockaways
• Coney Island
• Orchard Beach

Gatherings of 10 or Fewer

Any gatherings of no more than 10 people will be allowed statewide beginning Friday, May 22nd.

Religious gatherings of no more than 10 people and drive-in and parking lot services will be allowed statewide beginning Thursday, May 21st.

You must still keep at least 6 feet of distance between yourself and others and wear a mask or a face covering when social distancing is not possible. Social distancing guidelines and cleaning and disinfection guidelines required by the Department of Health must be followed.

Learn more about cleaning and disinfecting guidelines.

Complaints

To report overcrowding or social distancing violations on:

• Public transportation, including the subway and buses, contact the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) online or by Twitter to @NYCTSubway or @NYCTBus
• Parks, businesses, or other locations, visit the Social Distancing Complaint page

To report a person not wearing a face covering where a 6-foot distance can't be or isn't maintained, visit the Face Covering Violation page.

Governor Andrew Cuomo announced the "New York State on PAUSE" executive order has been extended until May 28th for New York City and other regions that have not met the criteria to begin reopening.

Learn about the New York State on 'PAUSE' executive order.

Learn about the Governor’s criteria for reopening.

COVID-19 is currently impacting many government offices and non-emergency services. Although the City is still available for essential services, many government offices are closed or offering limited in-person assistance.

We encourage you to:

• Use an Agency’s online services
• Contact them through their website, by email, or by phone
• Check their website for the latest service updates

Visit the following pages to learn about closures or service changes for:

• Adult Protective Services
• Beaches
• Birth Certificates
• Child Support
• ​Court
• Department of Finance Business Centers
• Department of Health Clinics:
  • Adult Vaccination and Immunization
  • Sexual and Reproductive Health
  • Tuberculosis
• Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV)
• Department of Transportation Permits and Customer Service:
  • City Parking Permit for People with Disabilities
  • Parking Permit
• Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) Card
• Fair Fares NYC
• Family Justice Centers
• Funeral Financial Assistance
• Health Insurance for People with Disabilities
• Health Insurance for Seniors
• HIV and AIDS Services
• Home Care
• Housing Court for Tenants and Landlords
• IDNYC Municipal ID Card
• Immigration and Citizenship
• Inmate Visit
• Jury Duty
• Libraries
• Marriage License
• Medicaid
• NYC Ferry
• Parks
• Public Assistance or Welfare
• Schools
• Senior Centers
• SNAP (Food Stamp) Centers
• Social Security Offices

Public Schools

All public schools, including 3-K and pre-K programs, closed on Monday, March 16. They will be closed for the rest of the 2019-2020 school year.

Get the latest information about coronavirus in public schools.

Download COVID-19 information and guidance for schools and families.

Submit a comment to the Mayor about public school closure policy.

Graduation

Families should contact their school for any questions about graduation. To look up contact information for a public school, go to the School Finder page.

Summer School

For information about schedules and programming, go to the Summer School page.

Testing

New York State Student Assessment exams have been cancelled for the 2019-2020 school year, including Regents exams. There will be more guidance provided for students regarding Regents exams. For more information, go to the School Testing page.

Remote Learning

Remote learning began on Monday, March 23rd and will continue for the rest of the 2019-2020 school year. The last day of remote learning is Friday, June 26.

To support remote learning and help students stay connected during emergencies, the Department of Education (DOE) is lending internet-enabled iPads to public school students and private or parochial school students with disabilities. To request an iPad for an NYC student in your family, please fill out the request form.

Priority will be given to students most in need. All iPads are granted on a temporary basis and will later need to be returned. There is a limit of one iPad per student.

It may take a few weeks to process your request and deliver the iPad. You can get learn-at-home materials and activities on DOE's website for your student to work on without a device.

Request an iPad for an NYC student.

Get answers to some remote learning device (iPad) questions.

Learn about the new grading policy for remote learning.

You can get help with filling out the iPad request form, setting up the device, accessing applications, and resolving technical issues by phone.

The Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) is operating the MTA Essential Service Plan until further notice. 

Beginning Wednesday, May 6, at 1 AM there will be no subway service daily from 1 AM to 5 AM while trains and stations are disinfected. Bus service will continue to run 24/7.

If you are an essential worker and bus alternatives aren’t an option for you, the MTA will be providing Essential Connector service. Essential workers will be eligible for one free trip in a for-hire vehicle per night.

Get the latest information about MTA subway and bus service.

Learn more about MTA resources for Overnight Essential Workers.

Sign up to receive updates about the Essential Connector Service.

New Rules

Face Coverings

Governor Andrew Cuomo signed an executive order requiring everyone in New York to wear masks or face coverings when they’re out in public.

All passengers using public transportation must wear a face covering at all times. To report passengers not wearing masks or face coverings, visit the Face Covering Violation page.

Social Distancing

If you're not traveling for work related to an essential business, or for urgent personal business like a medical appointment, do not use the subway or take the bus in order to keep limited capacity available for people who must travel.

To keep a safe distance between riders and drivers during the coronavirus outbreak, the MTA is temporarily changing their procedures on how customers use their buses:

• Local bus and Select Bus Service (SBS) customers will board and exit using the rear doors. You must still pay the fare if on-board payment boxes or SBS off-board ticket machines are accessible.
• Express bus customers will board and pay as normal but are not allowed to sit in the first three rows of the bus.
• ADA customers may still board at the front of all local and SBS buses and as usual on express buses.

Learn more about the bus boarding policy.

To report overcrowding or social distancing violations on the subway or buses, contact the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) online or by Twitter to @NYCTSubway or @NYCTBus.

Cleaning

MTA trains, stations, and buses are normally cleaned every day and sanitized as needed. The MTA is increasing the frequency and intensity of their procedures and are sanitizing high-touch surfaces more often.

These surfaces include:

• Poles
• Handrails
• Seats
• Benches
• Grab bars

MTA cleaners will be working on this every day, with the full fleet being covered every 72 hours. MTA is using cleaners endorsed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Paratransit Services

Paratransit services, including Access-A-Ride and ambulettes, continue to operate. If you are not traveling for essential business or essential personal business, please stay home and do not use paratransit services at this time.

For your safety and the drivers safety, to maximize social distancing, collection of fare payment for Access-A-Ride trips is temporarily suspended at this time for COVID-19 precautions.

Parking Rules

Alternate Side Parking Schedule (through June 7)

• May 18 - May 20: ASP, meters, and all other parking rules are in effect.
• May 21: ASP suspended for Solemnity of the Ascension; meters and all other parking rules are in effect.
• May 22 - May 23rd: ASP, meters, and all other parking rules are in effect.
• May 24: ASP suspended for Idul-al-Fitr; meters not in effect; all other parking rules are in effect.
• May 25: ASP and meters suspended for Memorial Day. Stopping, standing, and parking are also allowed, except in areas where these rules are in effect 7 days a week.
• May 26 - May 30: ASP suspended; meters and all other parking rules are in effect.
• May 31: ASP and meters not in effect; all other parking rules are in effect.
• June 1 - 6: ASP suspended; meters and all other parking rules are in effect.
• June 7: ASP and meters not in effect; all other parking rules are in effect.

The City may extend the suspension past June 7th based on street cleanliness and workforce availability.

Open Streets

When ASP is in effect on an Open Street, vehicles should leave the street and may return after ASP is over. If barriers are in place, they should be set up in a way that cars can drive around them.

While driving in and out of the street, please watch for pedestrians and travel at 5 MPH.

Parking Tickets

Any New Yorker under isolation who has received a ticket can request a hearing with the Department of Finance and should provide medical documentation or testimony, which will be taken into consideration when their case is reviewed. To learn how to dispute a parking ticket, visit the Parking Ticket or Camera Violation Dispute page.

Taxis and Car Services

Face Coverings

Protect yourself and others. All Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) drivers and passengers must wear a face covering. You can use a homemade mask, bandana, or a scarf.

Pooled Rides

For the safety of drivers and passengers, the City has temporarily banned pooled rides in TLC-licensed high volume for-hire vehicles such as Uber, Lyft, and Via.

This ban does not apply to paratransit vehicles.

Domestic Travel

As of March 28, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advise residents of New York to refrain from non-essential domestic travel for 14 days.

This advisory does not apply to employees of critical infrastructure industries, including but not limited to trucking, public health professionals, financial services, and food supply.

Learn more about the domestic travel advisory and restrictions.

International Travel

The Department of State advises United States citizens to reconsider travel abroad at this time due to the global impact of coronavirus.

As of March 11, foreign nationals who have recently been in certain European countries are restricted from traveling to the United States. This does not apply to United States citizens or legal permanent residents.

Learn more about international travel restrictions and advisories.

The City is collecting voluntary information about your experience with the coronavirus to better understand the impact of the virus on New York City.

You are encouraged to sign up if you fit any of the following criteria:

• Are experiencing symptoms (coughing, fever, shortness of breath)
• Feel you may have been exposed to COVID-19 or come in contact with someone who is infected
• Have tested positive for COVID-19
• Were, are, or will be placed under mandatory or voluntary quarantine or self-isolation

You can provide information for yourself, a child, or a family member if you are authorized to do so.

The information collected will be used to follow up about your coronavirus inquiry and make sure you're appropriately connected to the Department of Health. It will also help us get you the support and care you need if you want to voluntarily self-isolate as a precaution.

If you need to update your status information, call 311 for assistance.

Your personal information will not be given to third parties, and will not be used for marketing or any other commercial purpose. All information collected is encrypted for security.