NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — Yankee Stadium will be a mass COVID-19 vaccination site, reserved for Bronx residents only.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo confirmed Friday it will be operated by Somos Community Care. The National Guard will construct and administer the site.
He thanked the city, Mayor de Blasio and the Yankees for the joint effort.
"You cannot play baseball when you come but you can come to Yankee Stadium," Cuomo said, adding that he promised team President Randy Levine that the grass would not be disturbed. "Please, honor that commitment."
The baseball team issued a statement saying, "The New York Yankees are honored to participate in this partnership with Governor Andrew Cuomo, the State of New York, Mayor Bill de Blasio, the City of New York and SOMOS Community Care to open Yankee Stadium to provide vaccines to the people of the Bronx. The Yankees are committed to doing everything in their power to provide this vitally needed service to fight COVID-19."
It's not clear when the site will be up and running.
A vaccination site is also planned for Citi Field, but those plans were put on hold due to a shortage in vaccine supply.
The Bronx on Friday had the highest COVID-19 positivity rate of all the five boroughs at 7.06%.
By comparison, Queens is 5.80%; Brooklyn is 5.57%; Staten Island is 5.53%; and Manhattan is 3.47%. Citywide, the positivity rate is 5.27%, according to state data.
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