Gov. Andrew Cuomo confirmed on Friday all indoor dining in New York City will be suspended again indefinitely, prompted by a continual rise in CCP virus cases and hospitalizations throughout the city and state.
“Hospitalizations have not stabilized, and with a rising infection rate and NYC’s density, this means that indoor dining is too high of a risk,” the governor said, adding that takeout, delivery, and outdoor dining will still be allowed to continue.
The mayor also added he is aware many restaurant owners are struggling, but that officials “can’t allow this virus to reassert itself in our city.”
Cuomo said during the conference that as of Friday, 5,321 people were hospitalized statewide, while 1,668 patients are currently in New York City hospitals.
Public health experts have repeatedly said that indoor dining—particularly in small, crowded restaurants where individuals are drinking and can take off masks when not eating—poses a risk for airborne transmission. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently described indoor dining as “high risk.”
The governor’s order came despite opposition from the beleaguered restaurant industry, which warned of holiday season layoffs at a time when the federal government has yet to pass additional CCP virus relief package.
Andrew Rigie, the executive director of the NYC Hospitality Alliance, said these restrictions on indoor dining “will be the last straw for countless more restaurants and jobs.”
“The restrictions begin on Monday with zero economic support for small businesses that are already struggling to survive,” the director said.
“Since March, our members have been sounding the alarm that without sufficient governmental relief, New York restaurants will not make it through the pandemic,” Melissa Fleischut, the president and CEO of New York Restaurant Association, said.
Officials began allowing indoor dining in some regions outside of New York City in June, and Cuomo allowed indoor dining at 25 percent capacity in the city on Sept. 30. In other parts of the state, restaurants are allowed to have half their tables filled.
‘Absolutely Devastating’
Many restaurateurs have also expressed their concerns previously if further restrictions get confirmed in the city.
Another restaurateur told the network another shutdown would be “absolutely devastating for our local restaurants and workers.”
“We can’t continue to get shutdown without being supported,” said Rigie, who represents 2,500 of the city’s 24,000 eateries.