On the second day of his weeklong State of the State address, Governor Andrew Cuomo discussed the future of the arts industry in New York, which at the moment seems dependent on a large-scale rapid testing system.

The Department of Health is monitoring contact tracing results following the Buffalo Bills experiment last weekend, which allowed thousands of fans to return to the football stadium, but Cuomo said "all early indications suggest this model was successful." As such, the state will now utilize rapid testing to accelerate the return of the arts, reopen restaurants, offices and more.

We have reached out to the Governor's Office to find out more about which rapid tests will be used, and will update when we have more information. Not all rapid tests are the same, with some proving more reliable than others. The rapid antigen tests, for example, have a higher percentage of false negatives, especially if a person is early in their infection. A rapid-PCR test is widely regarded as a more reliable option, albeit one that takes slightly longer to deliver results. One head-to-head study of rapid tests involving 3,198 people found antigen tests only caught roughly half of potential coronavirus cases on average, while PCR was near perfect at 95.2%.

The state will work with the real estate community to open hundreds of additional rapid testing sites where people can receive a rapid test hours before patronizing a business or attending an event. Without the "energy, entertainment, theater and cuisine... without that activity and attraction... cities lose much of their appeal," Cuomo said. "New York City is not New York without Broadway."

The state's New York Arts Revival will be a public/private partnership with a mission of bringing the arts back through pop-up performances and events, set to begin in early February and featuring the likes of Wynton Marsalis, Amy Schumer and Chris Rock. Outdoor sites in the city and across the state, including in state parks and properties like the Park Avenue Armory, St. Ann's Warehouse, and the Queens Theater will be a part of the effort, which will culminate with two landmark events: opening of Little Island at Pier 55, and 20th anniversary of Tribeca Film Festival in June.

The larger effort will also include the launch of the Creative Rebuild Initiative, which aims to put over 1,000 artists back to work and fund dozens of community arts groups.

"Almost no one has been hurt more by COVID than our artists," Cuomo said. According to a study by the National Endowment of the Arts, 52% actors, 55% of dancers, and 27% of musicians were out of work in September 2020. The industry counts for almost half a million jobs in the state, and generates $120 billion in economic output. "We cannot wait until summer to turn the lights back on," Cuomo said.

Additionally, the state will begin piloting events in large indoor spaces, where Cuomo hopes they can "explore what possible safe and smart options exist" and use it as a model for a nationwide reopening.

Cuomo's announcement envisions a more aggressive timeline for live performance events than the one predicted by the nation's top infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci, who said on Saturday that he could see some venues reopening for live performances in the fall, with social distancing and mask wearing. Fauci's timeline also relies on vaccinating over 70% of Americans.

"If everything goes right, this is will occur some time in the fall of 2021,” Dr. Fauci said at conference for performing arts professionals, “so that by the time we get to the early to mid-fall, you can have people feeling safe performing onstage as well as people in the audience.”

Additional reporting by Nsikan Akpan