Dear Friends, 

These last couple of weeks have marked a series of celebrations for NYC media and entertainment: the reopening of international tourism, the opening of new nightlife venues, the long-awaited premieres of the “Made in NY” productions Clifford the Big Red Dog and Tick, Tick…Boom! and the 25th anniversary of the longest-running American musical on Broadway Chicago, to name a few. As we head into the holiday season, we do so with a renewed energy and excitement borne out of the resiliency, creativity, brilliance and sheer grit that makes New York New York.

Key to NYC requires indoor entertainment and recreation, indoor dining, and indoor fitness establishments to check workers and patrons ages 12 and over for proof that they have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccination. The Key to NYC website offers guidance and resources, including Frequently Asked Questions and Guidance for Businesses on Equitable Implementation. In addition, you can watch a video recording of a multi-agency Key to NYC webinar hosted by MOME’s Office of Nightlife with representatives from City Hall, NYC Department of Small Business Services, Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications, Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and Commission on Human Rights.  

The Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine is now available for children ages 5 to 11. The vaccine dose for this age group is smaller than the dose given to people 12 and older. (Youth ages 12-17 are also eligible for the Pfizer vaccine.) Children can get vaccinated at their doctor’s office, pharmacies and vaccine sites across the city. For more information, please read the FAQ about the vaccine and children. 

COVID-19 vaccine booster shots are now available for many New Yorkers: 

•   Pfizer and Moderna booster doses are now available for certain groups of people who received the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine at least six months ago. Those groups are:

      ○  People 65 or older

      ○  People who are 18 or older with an underlying medical condition

      ○  People who are 18 or older and live in a nursing home or other long-term care facility

      ○  People who are 18 or older who work or live in a high-risk setting

•  People (18+) who received the J&J vaccine at least two months ago are eligible for a booster and should get one. 

•  It is recommended that people who got Moderna and Pfizer get a third dose of the same vaccine type. However, if someone has a preference for a different vaccine type, they are able to choose any of the three vaccines (at least 6 months after their second dose of Moderna or Pfizer).

•   For J&J recipients, all three vaccines are fine as a booster, but limited data shows that a Moderna or Pfizer booster could offer more antibodies.

•   If you’re not sure which one you should get, speak with your doctor or clinical staff at a vaccine site.

•  There has been no change to the August guidelines about third doses for people with underlying conditions like organ transplants or active cancer. Adults who received the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine at least 28 days ago, and are moderately to severely immunocompromised, are still eligible for a third dose of the vaccine, as part of their initial vaccination series.

•   Eligible New Yorkers can access third doses citywide and need to attest to their eligibility.

As of November 17, 2021, 80% of New York City adult residents are fully vaccinated. It’s never been easier to get a vaccination. The Vaccine Command Center offers resources and information on how to access vaccines by appointment and at walk-up sites, mobile units, and at home. You can find your nearest COVID-19 vaccine site online or call 844-VAX-4NYC.

Reminder: Labor Law section 196-b allows employees to use sick leave for the recovery of any side effects of the COVID-19 vaccination and section 197-c allows leave to receive vaccinations.

To maximize protection from the Delta variant and prevent possibly spreading it to others, the Mayor and the NYC Health Department strongly recommend all people over age two to wear masks or face coverings indoors in public places in New York City, even if fully vaccinated. Face coverings are required on public transit and at indoor train stations, regardless of vaccination status. And New York State mandates universal mask requirements at NYS-regulated child care facilities, residential congregate programs, and certain other NYS-licensed or NYS-regulated facilities.   

Reminder: if you are unvaccinated, the NYS Department of Health regulations require you to wear a mask or face covering in public (outdoors and indoors) unless you can maintain social distancing.

Additional Precautions

Please remember to keep doing what we know works: wash your hands; if you’re sick, get tested and stay home.     

Travel

Starting November 8, the United States has lifted many restrictions on traveling to the United States from a foreign country for non-essential travel by fully vaccinated non-citizens. For guidance about traveling to the United States from a foreign country by airplane, refer to this helpful new flow-chart from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. For guidance about traveling to the United States from a foreign country by land or ferry, see the Department of Homeland Security’s guidance and FAQ. The CDC has announced plans to ease restrictions on international cruise travel starting January 16, 2022. 

All travelers, domestic and international, should continue to follow all CDC travel requirements. More information about international travel requirements is available on the State Department’s website.

Airborne Infectious Disease Prevention Plan

New York State requires all employers to implement an Airborne Infectious Disease Prevention Plan. Employers can find the regulation with requirements for the plan and anti-retaliation requirements and templates for the plans in English and Spanish on the NYS Department of Labor website (under Resources, near the bottom of the webpage). This plan is different than the Key to NYC implementation plan, so be sure to review the NYS DOL guidance carefully.    

Last week, the New York State Council for the Arts (NYSCA) posted guidelines and FAQ for its Capital Funding for the Arts program. Support in this round will assist organizations facing health and safety issues in their spaces and venues, among other needs. Facilities program and capital support will be available in this round. Any New York State nonprofit arts and culture organization is encouraged to apply. Applications are due January 14, 2022. 

MOME and the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs have partnered with the Mayor’s Office of Community Mental Health to offer mental health resources for creative workers, including a list of resources for performing arts professionals and a webinar on “Promoting Mental Health for Creative Workers” featuring a discussion on mental health resources for NYC creatives. A recording of the program is available on YouTube. 

Americans for the Arts has released two new versions of their COVID-19 Impact on the Arts surveys that arts organizations and artists/creative workers should respond to: 

1.   A Survey of Arts and Cultural Organizations and Creative Businesses gathers information about the challenges facing the arts sector in the relief/recovery and re-opening processes. All types of arts and cultural organizations are invited to participate in this survey:
 • Nonprofit arts and cultural organizations across all artistic disciplines (including service organizations)
 • Government arts agencies, departments, divisions, programs, and facilities
 • For-profit and commercial creative businesses
 • Programs that operate under the umbrella of a parent organization or fiscal agent
 • Unincorporated programs/collectives

2.   The Impact of COVID-19 on Artists and Creative Workers Survey is designed to assess the creative and social, as well as financial and professional, impact of COVID-19 on artists and creative workers across disciplines. All types of creative workers are invited to participate in this survey: practicing artists, culture bearers, educators and teaching artists, creative entrepreneurs, and hobby artists. 

A.R.T./New York announced three grant programs providing flexible, general operating support to small theatres: 

1.   The NYSCA-A.R.T./New York Creative Opportunity Fund provides grants of $2,000-$5,000 to theatres throughout New York State with annual budgets of under $500,000.
2.    The Strengthening NYC Theatres Grant Program (formerly the Nancy Quinn Fund) gives New York City-based theatres with annual budgets under $250,000 one-year grants of $1000-$2000.  
3.    The New York City Small Theatres Fund, in partnership with the Howard Gilman Foundation, will provide around 10 New York City theatres with annual budgets under $250,000 with two-year general operating support grants of $5,000-$10,000 annually.

The application deadline for each of the three A.R.T./New York programs is 5:00 pm on Tuesday, December 14, 2021.  

Media Production   

Film permittees must follow State regulations on face coverings and social distancing and implement an Airborne Infectious Disease Prevention Plan, but the NYS DOH Interim Guidance for Media Production During the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency is optional. Additional guidance for on location filming is available on MOME’s film permit webpage. Please read the FAQ on Production Activity on Public Property in New York City During the COVID-19 Pandemic for answers to questions about remaining health and safety requirements and limitations on film permits. To assist productions with promoting COVID-safe protocols on set, MOME has available for download production-specific educational posters.

Note: The Film Office is currently closed to walk-in visitors. If you need assistance, please call (212) 489-6710. 

Propane heaters are no longer allowed in Open Restaurants. The NYC Department of Small Business Services will be providing grants up to $5,000 for restaurants with annual revenue of $1 million or less, which may be used to swap out propane heaters for either electric or natural gas radiant heaters. (We will provide more information when it is available.) Electric radiant heaters are allowed on both sidewalk and roadway. Natural gas radiant heaters are allowed on the sidewalk only.

As of November 1, 2021, New York City food service establishments may no longer provide single-use plastic beverage straws, except upon request. Additionally, food service establishments may no longer provide single-use beverage splash sticks or stirrers made of plastic. Establishments may provide beverage straws, splash sticks, and stirrers that are compostable and not made of plastic. For more information, please review the NYC Department of Sanitation's website on Restrictions on the Distribution of Plastic Straws, Splash Sticks, and Stirrers. Please call 311 to submit complaints or questions. 

The Office of Nightlife, in partnership with the Mayor’s Office of Community Mental Health and Backline, has launched Elevate Nightlife to connect the nightlife community directly with mental health resources and services. As part of the Elevate Nightlife Mental Health Initiative, people who work in the nightlife industry in New York City can participate in a free and confidential weekly mental health support group moderated by a Backline Care licensed therapists, every Monday at 4pm.

NYC BUSINESS QUICK START

NYC Business Quick Start provides small businesses a sole point of contact to help navigate City regulations, guarantees a 48-hour response to all small business inquiries and will cut processing time by 50 percent. The program is a collaboration between several key agencies including SBS, Department of Buildings (DOB), Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH), and the New York City Fire Department (FDNY). For more information, visit the NYC Business Quick Start website or call 888-SBS-4NYC (888-727-4692).

On November 8, Governor Hochul announced a new recovery package and campaign called, “Bring Back Tourism, Bring Back Jobs.” This comprehensive strategy will support unemployed workers and struggling businesses in the critically important tourism and hospitality sector, which was New York's third-largest industry prior to the pandemic; incentivize the rehiring of these critical workers; and jumpstart demand for the State’s tourism and hospitality attractions. The package consists of the following programs: 

•    $100 million in one-time payments to support hardest-hit tourism workers: The New York State Department of Labor will issue one-time payments of $2,750 to as many as 36,000 qualified workers in tourism sector industries. New Yorkers who are eligible will be contacted directly from the State via text or email. 

•    $100 million in grants to encourage tourism employers to rehire staff: Qualifying tourism businesses will be eligible for grants of up to $5,000 per net new full-time employee, or $2,500 per net new part-time employee, hired to offset their labor costs. More information, including a sign-up for program-related email alerts, is available on the Empire State Development (ESD) website. It is anticipated that arts and cultural organizations and entertainment businesses will qualify for program funding when ESD releases detailed eligibility criteria in the coming weeks. 

•    $25 million to attract convention center and hotel events; additional $25 million for global and domestic marketing efforts.

•    Governor Hochul’s commitment to advance legislation expanding successful small business recovery program for businesses started just prior to or during the pandemic with $200 million relief program.

The New York State COVID-19 Pandemic Small Business Recovery Grant Program provides $800 million in assistance for small businesses (including small for-profit independent arts and cultural organizations), experiencing financial hardship as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Flexible grants up to $50,000 can be used for operating expenses, including payroll, rent or mortgage payments, taxes, utilities, personal protective equipment, or other business expenses incurred during the pandemic. Over 330,000 small and micro businesses are potentially eligible for this program, including 57 percent of the State’s certified MWBEs. Application help is available by phone at 877-721-0097. 

On October 7, Governor Hochul announced that $125 million in state funding is now available to help landlords whose tenants declined to participate in the New York State Emergency Rental Assistance Program or vacated in arrears. Administered by the State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance, the Landlord Rental Assistance Program provides up to 12 months of past-due rent to eligible landlords. Priority will be given to those landlords owning small-to-medium-sized properties. 

A moratorium on COVID-related residential and commercial evictions for New York State is in effect until January 15, 2022. Under the new law, all protections of the Tenant Safe Harbor Act for residential tenants who are suffering financial hardship as a result of the pandemic will remain in place, along with new protections on commercial evictions. You can read the new law on the New York State Senate’s website. 

Note: There are additional eviction protections available to NYC Tenants. Up-to-date information and resources are available on NYC’s 311 portal and NYC Human Resources website for renters at risk of eviction or entering shelter.

NYC homeowners at risk of being displaced from their communities can get help from the expanded Homeowner Help Desk. You can call 1-855-HOME-456 or stop by a Help Desk event. Support includes helping homeowners resolve housing challenges due to COVID-19, managing a home as a small landlord, understanding a home’s flood risk, and more.  

Eligible small businesses, nonprofits, sole proprietors and independent contractors can still apply for a COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). Earlier this month, the SBA announced that it improved the EIDL program to better meet the needs of small businesses, especially those hardest hit industries and smallest entities that still need relief. Among other changes, the SBA has increased the amount of funding that can be borrowed from $500,000 to $2 million for qualified applicants. Learn more about EIDL and the Targeted EIDL Advance and Supplemental Targeted Advance and how you can take advantage before December 31, 2021.   

Roughly 850 NYC-based applicants received Shuttered Venue Operator Grants (SVOG) according to the SBA’s September 20, 2021 report. New York State applicants have received a combined total of $1,746,815,953 as of November 1.  For more information, visit the SBA website.    

The American Rescue Plan extends a number of critical tax benefits, particularly the Employee Retention Credit and Paid Leave Credit, to small businesses. Find out more on the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s website.       

Borrowers may be eligible for Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan forgiveness. The SBA launched a streamlined application portal to allow borrowers with Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans $150,000 or less through participating lenders to apply for forgiveness directly through the SBA. The new forgiveness platform will begin accepting applications from borrowers on August 4, 2021. Information about PPP loan forgiveness is available on SBA’s website.  

The arts, entertainment, and hospitality industries were hit hard by the pandemic, with high unemployment rates. Many workers are experiencing housing insecurity and challenges with rent and mortgages. Please visit the federal Consumer Finance Protection Bureau’s webpage to find help, whether you are a renter, homeowner, or landlord. 

As the sun sets earlier due to the end of Daylight Savings Time, drivers have an extra responsibility to slow down and keep pedestrians, cyclists, and themselves safe. As part of the City’s annual Dusk and Darkness safety campaign, NYPD is increasing their on-street presence around sunset hours and focus enforcement resources on speeding and failure to yield.
 

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Stay safe and stay 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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