Here’s what’s closed now in NYC, NJ due to air quality crisis

This is a developing list. Please check back for updates.

Just as the city’s summer is ramping up, smoke from Canadian wildfires has blanketed the New York region, canceling plans.

City officials have urged New Yorkers to remain indoors due to the unhealthy air quality. As the smoke worsened on Wednesday and into Thursday, venues and events around the city began officially canceling plans. Airports slowed down, libraries locked their doors and beaches sent lifeguards home.

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How to stay safe in unhealthy air

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Smoke from the Quebec and Ontario fires is blanketing the East Coast, bringing fine particulate matter that can lodge itself deep in the lungs. Public health experts say some basic precautionary measures can limit your exposure.

1. Wear a mask: Public health experts say wearing any well-fitting mask is beneficial, but N95s and KN95s will offer the most protection against fine particulate matter entering the lungs.
2. Stay indoors: The best way to avoid smoke exposure is to stay indoors and keep the windows closed. In this case, air conditioning and air purifiers are our friends.
3. Avoid strenuous exercise: If you are outdoors, avoid heavy exercise as this will force you to breathe in extra amounts of the toxins more deeply. Go easy on the jogging, tennis, and even pickleball.

See the latest air quality data for New York City and New Jersey here.

Here is a list of cancellations so far. If you’ve got plans today, check with the venue before heading out.

Airports

Low visibility due to smoke conditions disrupted flights in and out of regional airports on Wednesday. All three – JFK International Airport, Newark Liberty International Airport and LaGuardia Airport – tweeted on Wednesday to alert travelers. The Federal Aviation Administration tweeted Thursday that it has paused flights bound for LaGuardia airport from the Northeast, Ohio, and Mid-Atlantic regions due to low visibility.

Those heading to airports should check their flight status, and allow for extra travel time.

Alternate side parking

Alternate side parking will be suspended Thursday and Friday due to poor air quality. Parking meters will remain in effect.

Arts and cultural events

The Public Theater pulled the plug on the first two performances, Thursday and Friday, of its new Free Shakespeare in the Park production of “Hamlet.” According to a company spokesperson, the theater will continue to monitor the situation and follow guidance from the city and the Parks Department, and hopes to start performances over the weekend.

The Times Square Alliance has announced that a performance by pianist Miki Yamanaka, hosted by Jazz at Lincoln Center and scheduled for Thursday evening at 5 p.m., has been cancelled.

Organizers of Uptown Night Market, a monthly Harlem outdoor dining and shopping event scheduled for Thursday night, have rescheduled for Thursday, June 15.

The Hudson Classical Theater Company has canceled its performance of Oscar Wilde’s “The Importance of Being Earnest,” scheduled to take place at the Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument in Riverside Park on Thursday night at 6:30 p.m. The company will decide on Friday morning whether to cancel any further performances.

The Hudson River Dance Festival, which was scheduled to take place on Thursday and Friday, has canceled its opening-night performance at Hudson River Park's Pier 63. No determination has been made so far concerning the Friday event.

Similarly, Bryant Park has announced that a dance event featuring Robin Dunn and Friends and The Lite with LayeRhythm, scheduled for Thursday evening as part of the popular Bryant Park Picnic Performances series, has been canceled. Park officials will monitor conditions to determine whether a Friday evening performance by Dance Heginbotham, Jennifer Muller/The Works and Joffrey Concert Ballet Group can go on as planned.

Most indoor events appear to be happening as planned, but not without consequence. According to Variety and other media sources, actor Jodie Comer halted a matinee performance of “Prima Facie” on Wednesday, complaining about breathing problems. (The show continued shortly afterward with an understudy.) Another actor, Jeff Heimbrock, who is currently appearing in “Wicked,” tweeted that “[t]he dressing rooms and backstage areas today smell like smoke, everyone is having trouble breathing, especially during our physically strenuous numbers.”

Beaches, parks zoos and carriage horses

The Bronx Zoo, Central Park Zoo, Queens Zoo and Prospect Park Zoo, as well as the New York Aquarium will all be closed on Thursday.

The city's parks department says any Wednesday event that cannot be moved indoors — which may include movie screenings, fitness classes, nature programming — will be canceled.

The parks department also shut down city beaches on Wednesday afternoon. There were no lifeguards on stands starting at 3 p.m. The parks department also said staff would be telling beachgoers to get out of the water, and installing red flags to indicate that swimming is prohibited.

In Point Pleasant Beach, New Jersey, the Jenkinson's Boardwalk's outdoor attractions were on a delayed opening schedule on Thursday. The beach itself was closed for the day.

The New York City health department is issuing a work suspension for carriage horses and other working horses on Wednesday due to poor air quality.

Libraries and schools

The Brooklyn, New York and Queens Public Libraries said they closed early on Wednesday, shutting their doors at 3:30 p.m.

New Jersey school districts were each making individual decisions about closures or early dismissals; the state has not issued any order to schools. Just a handful of the state's 600 districts had announced schedule changes or closures for Thursday.

New Jersey state offices

All state offices closed at 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday and opened on a delayed schedule on Thursday.

Schools

Public high school students in NYC will attend class remotely on Friday, June 9. They had been scheduled to attend school in-person. Select other schools that had been scheduled to attend class in-person will also shift to remote classes.

Sports

Wednesday's Yankees-White Sox game was rescheduled to Thursday, June 8, as a single-admission double header, starting at 4:05 p.m. according to the team's Twitter account.

Wednesday's New York Liberty game against the Minnesota Lynx was postponed, according to the team's Twitter account. It did not specify the new date, but said tickets to Wednesday's game would automatically be valid for the new date.