Members within the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade have to be masked and vaccinated, with a couple of exceptions, the corporate stated on Wednesday, because the annual custom plans a return to a model of its previous self this November after a muted efficiency final yr.
The announcement is the newest signal that New York is decided to renew some semblance of normalcy even because it grapples with the unfold of the extremely contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus.
Macy’s stated that its ninety fifth celebration will journey an extended route than the one block it was confined to in 2020 and usher in marching bands and different teams that had been unable to carry out final yr. It would permit 80 to 100 handlers for its large character balloons after lowering the quantity final yr.
The corporate stated it anticipated hundreds of individuals once more, although lower than its typical 8,000, and stated that every one volunteer individuals and workers have to be absolutely vaccinated. They need to additionally put on face coverings, with some exceptions for performers, and keep social distancing all through a lot of the occasion.
The pandemic upended traditions together with festivals and Santa Claus conferences final yr, and the parade grew to become largely a tv occasion as many spectators had been advised to remain house and the parade route shrank from its traditional two-mile stretch. Some balloons even had flights that had been pretaped for broadcast. A consultant for Macy’s stated that the corporate was nonetheless figuring out this yr’s route however anticipated that it will be nearer to 2 miles.
“We applaud Macy’s work to creatively proceed this beloved custom final yr and look ahead to welcoming again parade watchers to expertise it safely, dwell and in particular person this November,” Mayor Invoice de Blasio stated in a press release.