Yankees and Mets permitted 100% capacity if all fans are vaccinated

The Yankees and Mets can increase capacity from 20% to 100% at their ballparks for home games starting on 19 May as long as fans are vaccinated against Covid-19 – and both teams will be giving away free tickets along with vaccinations.

New York’s governor, Andrew Cuomo, made the announcement at a news conference on Wednesday with Yankees president Randy Levine and Mets president Sandy Alderson.

“Theoretically if you had 100% vaccinated, you could fill the entire stadium with 100% vaccinated,” Cuomo said. “Unvaccinated, it is still the 6ft social distancing. In other words, our capacity restrictions have been relaxed subject to the federal CDC social-distancing guideline of 6ft”

The Johnson & Johnson one-shot vaccination will be offered at the ballparks, and a person receiving a vaccination can get a free game ticket.

Related: New York, New Jersey and Connecticut to lift Covid restrictions on businesses

“If we can encourage more people to get vaccinated by giving away Yankees tickets, we are all in,” the Yankees said in a statement.

The current requirement for fans to show proof of a recent negative Covid-19 test will be dropped because it is burdensome, Cuomo said. Masks will continue to be required. Sections for unvaccinated fans will be at 33% capacity.

“We’ve been polling our fans,” Levine said. “I think the majority are vaccinated rather than unvaccinated who are coming in. And hopefully those numbers continue to rise. But we will have separate sections and accommodate all our season ticket holders, make sure that they’re fine, and other people coming in.”

Depending on whether season ticket holders and their guests are vaccinated, seat locations may have to be moved. Newly sold tickets will be specified as vaccinated or unvaccinated sections. Levine is hoping for “full house after full house.”

Cuomo also announced that Broadway theaters will reopen on 14 September at 100% capacity and ticket sales could start on Thursday. Broadway theaters were closed by Cuomo on 12 March 2020.

Elsewhere in MLB, the Arizona Diamondbacks said they will lift seating restrictions beginning on 25 May but masks will be required and distancing encouraged.

“While the seating restrictions will no longer be in place, we believe seat selection for the majority of games should still allow fans to spread out,” Diamondbacks CEO Derrick Hall said in a statement.

Arizona had been allowing up to 20,000 fans at games, about half of Chase Field’s capacity, and averaged about 11,500 through 11 home games.

Meanwhile, the NFL will offer people who have been vaccinated the chance to win free tickets to next year’s Super Bowl. The league has made 50 tickets available to fans who tell their stories about how they were vaccinated. The NFL said it was part of its “commitment to raising awareness and encouraging Americans to get vaccinated”.