New York governor Andrew Cuomo announced on Friday that indoor dining will be banned in New York City because of a recent increase in coronavirus cases and hospitalizations.
The governor had warned earlier this week that indoor dining could be closed in the city if coronavirus hospitalizations don’t “stabilize.” The seven-day average for hospitalizations in New York City was 159 as of December 7, and the number of patients currently hospitalized in the city has continued to rise.
We said that…if the hospitalization rate didn’t stabilize we would close indoor dining. It has not. We’re going to close indoor dining in New York City on Monday,” Cuomo told reporters at a press conference.
Outdoor dining and takeout will still be permitted, however New York City is experiencing the onset of winter weather, which will likely dampen residents’ willingness to eat outside.
“Another forced government closure of New York City restaurants will cause an irreversible harm on even countless more small businesses and the hundreds of thousands of workers they employ, especially if it is not coupled with financial relief,” New York City Hospitality Alliance executive director Andrew Rigie said on Monday.
While indoor dining will close, Mayor Bill de Blasio has reopened city public schools for hybrid in-person and online learning, after a closure in mid-November because of rising coronavirus counts in the city. The mayor has emphasized that city schools are not considered a primary area of coronavirus transmission.