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Dear Friends,

This was a big week for NYC arts, entertainment, nightlife and hospitality!

On Monday, I joined Mayor de Blasio and City colleagues in announcing two City programs to support our creative sectors as part of the “Recovery for All of Us”:

• Curtains Up NYC, a program partnership of the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment (MOME) and NYC Department of Small Business Services, offers free technical assistance to live-performance venues, organizations and workers applying for the federal Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG), also known as Save Our Stages. Curtains Up NYC will provide webinars three times a week that will review the SVOG guidelines and application process and have trained counselors on hand for virtual, one-on-one sessions. Curtains Up NYC seeks to ensure access to federal relief by providing NYC venues with assistance they need to put forward the strongest application, and, importantly, be first in line as soon as the grant applications go live. Information is available at nyc.gov/curtainsupNYC or 888-SBS-4NYC.

• Open Culture, launched in partnership with Citywide Events Coordination and Management/Street Activity Permit Office, NYC Department of Transportation, NYC Department of Cultural Affairs and MOME, will permit outdoor cultural performances on designated city streets this spring. Arts and cultural institutions, as well as entertainment venues, can secure a permit for single day, socially distanced performances at over 100 street locations throughout all five boroughs. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis starting March 1, 2021 and will extend through October 31, 2021. For complete guidelines, visit nyc.gov/openculture.

In addition, Governor Cuomo made two welcome announcements for performing arts and restaurants:

• NY PopsUp is a statewide festival featuring hundreds of free pop-up performances, staged across every type of neighborhood and district in all five boroughs of New York City, throughout Long Island and Upstate New York, and in all regions of the state. A private/public partnership overseen by producers Scott Rudin and Jane Rosenthal, in coordination with the New York State Council on the Arts and Empire State Development, NY PopsUp will serve as a "pilot program," creating the state's first large-scale model for how to bring live performance back safely. NY PopsUp will launch on Saturday, February 20 and reach its climax with the 20th Anniversary of the Tribeca Film Festival and The Festival at Little Island at Pier 55.

• Indoor dining can reopen in New York City at 25 percent capacity on February 12, Lunar New Year Day. The reopening is subject to strict state guidance, which can be found here.

COVID-19 UPDATES

This week New York State announced that New Yorkers with comorbidities and underlying conditions can make appointments at state-run mass vaccination sites beginning February 14, with the first appointments scheduled for February 15. For a full list of eligible groups, visit the State's website. Eligible New Yorkers can find vaccination locations and make appointments online at vaccinefinder.nyc.gov or by calling 877-VAX4NYC for assistance in multiple languages. For the latest information, please consult the City’s Vaccine Command Center.

In the meantime, we must remain vigilant and keep doing what we know works: wear a mask, socially distance, avoid nonessential travel, and get tested. There is now a dashboard with a list of wait times at Health + Hospitals testing sites that is refreshed every two hours.

State COVID zone restrictions remain in effect in certain parts of the city. To find out where the zones are, and to see what restrictions apply to each zone, please visit www.nyc.gov/covidzone or call the New York State hotline at 888-364-3065.

In accordance with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s guidance, international passengers traveling to the U.S. are required to show proof of a negative COVID test or clearance from a public health official or licensed health care provider prior to boarding. Travelers arriving from outside of the U.S. are also required to

quarantine for seven days after arrival

. The New York State Travel Advisory continues to apply, requiring a negative COVID-19 test prior to exiting a quarantine shorter than 10 days.

BUSINESS RESOURCES

The U.S. Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) reopened earlier this year and currently offers:

• First Draw PPP Loans for first time program participants, and

• Second Draw PPP Loans for certain businesses who have previously received a PPP loan.

To connect New York City’s small business owners to federal relief funds, the NYC Department of Small Business Services (SBS) has launched Fair Share NYC, offering free webinars, technical assistance and access to lenders to help businesses interested in applying for PPP loans. For more information, visit nyc.gov/PPP or call 888-SBS-4NYC.

Archive recordings of the Town Calls for NYC Arts, Entertainment, Hospitality and Nightlife businesses and workers presented by MOME and the Office of Nightlife about the latest federal loans and other assistance programs are also available here:

• Town Call for Businesses held on 1/21

• Town Call for Workers held on 1/22

On Thursday, February 18th at 9:30 am the NYC Department of Small Business Services (SBS) is hosting a webinar for New York City small businesses looking for tips and guidelines to keep employees healthy and safe during COVID-19.

Topics will include:

• Vaccination

• Test and Trace if an employee tests positive for COVID-19

• How to keep workers safe in the workplace

• Changes in the Paid Sick Leave law

• Immigrant rights

• Identifying and reporting discrimination

The session will feature representatives from the following agencies:

• New York City Department of Small Business Services (SBS)

• New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH)

• New York City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP)

• Test and Trace Corps | New York City Health + Hospitals

• NYC Vaccine Command Center

• NYC Commission on Human Rights (CCHR)

• Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs (MOIA)

The webinar will be presented in English and translated simultaneously in Spanish, Chinese, and Korean. Reasonable accommodations are available upon request. Information and registration is available here.

MEDIA PRODUCTION

Commissioner’s Directive 11 is posted on the Film Permit website. Cast and crew limits on exterior filming on public property remain in effect through February 28, 2021. To assist productions with promoting safety protocols on set, the Film Office has produced a suite of graphics and posters available for download here.

Please be sure to check frequently for updates and review the guidelines and FAQ before submitting permit applications. If you have questions after reading these guidance documents, please call the Film Office at (212) 489-6710. Please keep in mind that the Film Office is still operating remotely so please allow additional time for Film Permit processing.

RESTAURANTS AND BARS

NYC Restaurant Week To Go continues through February 28. Each restaurant is offering at least one special $20.21 takeout or delivery meal for lunch and/or dinner. Tax, delivery fees and gratuity are additional to the meal price. Diners can search participating eateries at nycgo.com/restaurantweek, where they will then be redirected to the restaurant’s preferred delivery or takeout options. We encourage you to support local restaurants that need our support now more than ever.

For the latest updates, sign up for MOME’s newsletter, follow our social media channels on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, or visit our website at www.nyc.gov/mome.

Stay safe and NYC strong,

Anne del Castillo

Commissioner

Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment

www.nyc.gov/mome

@NYCMOMECommish

Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment

nyc.gov/mome

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