The city sleeps: New York bans big gatherings, museums close

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo says the state will ban all gatherings with 500 or more people in an effort to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus.

The governor said Thursday the ban would start for most places at 5 p.m. Friday. Broadway theaters would be affected earlier. Cuomo said venues of under 500 people can only be filled to half their capacity.

The ban does not apply to schools, hospitals, nursing homes and mass transit.

Some of New York City's cultural institutions announced they are temporarily shutting down because of the virus, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Metropolitan Opera and Carnegie Hall. The virus causes only mild or moderate symptoms such as fever and cough for most people.