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Dining will resume in New York on Friday, February 12, two days earlier than scheduled, Governor Cuomo announced Monday morning.
Cuomo announced on Jan.29 that it would allow restaurants to re-seat diners indoors on Valentine’s Day and at 25 percent capacity.
The industry fired back, asking why they had to wait so long and why they couldn’t reopen on Friday February 12 to make the most of the long holiday weekend.
Restaurant owners also sued Cuomo and the state, claiming they were unfairly kept closed when other parts of the state and country were able to reopen.
On Monday, Cuomo said the number of COVIDs in the city had finally dropped low enough that dining inside could reopen.
He also unveiled “NY Pops Up” – a plan to kick off the reopening of art with 300 free “pop-up” events with celebrities such as Sarah Jessica Parker and Hugh Jackman.
The first of these events takes place on February 20 at the Javits Center and it is a tribute concert for healthcare workers.
This is how New Yorkers have been dining in restaurants since Dec. 14, when Cuomo again ended his dining inside after allowing it for months because COVID cases were crawling after Thanksgiving.
New York City has historically had lower test positivity rates than other parts of the state, and Manhattan has the lowest number of any borough.
It is not known if there will be an audience for this event.
“We’ll start with the pop-ups and then move on to reopening the sites with testing,” he said.
The events will run from February through the summer, he said, and “will pave the way” for the permanent reopening of Broadway and other venues.
Cuomo used the Buffalo Bills play-off – where he allowed 7,000 fans to enter a stadium after first performing quick COVID tests – as proof that it worked.
“There were 7,000 people and no evidence of an increased spread through contact tracing.
“The stadium was outside but there were 7,000 people and if you can reopen using tests, take the next step,” he said sadly.
Weddings of up to 150 people can also resume in March, provided everyone is tested for COVID first.
The NYC Hospitality Alliance welcomed the news on Monday.
“We congratulate Governor Cuomo for authorizing the resumption of dining in New York on Friday, instead of Sunday, the date originally scheduled.
“ This will allow restaurants to generate much-needed Valentine’s Day weekend income, much of which would have been lost because the holidays fall on a Sunday this year.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Monday said restaurants may reopen indoor restaurants early after being criticized by the industry and after restaurant owners file lawsuits.
“ Advanced openness and better health settings are welcome news for the city’s decimated restaurant industry and for lovers, ” Executive Director Andrew Rigie told DailyMail.com on Monday.
The Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce also welcomed the news.
Brooklyn’s restaurants and industry workers are surviving by a thread, and with COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations falling in the city, we support Governor Cuomo’s decision to postpone the safe reopening of the indoor restaurants highly regulated at 25% occupancy through Friday before Valentine’s Day.
“ Many Brooklynites will now be able to celebrate the holidays at a restaurant earlier in the weekend, giving small businesses and struggling workers a few days head start to earn some extra cash to support themselves. needs and those of their families, ” Randy Peers, Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce President and CEO told DailyMail.com.
Cuomo allowed indoor dining in all other parts of the state months ago, even though New York City’s test positivity rate has been consistently low compared to other cities.
In Manhattan, the borough with the most restaurants and bars per square kilometer, it has been lower than anywhere else in the city for months.
His only justification for keeping restaurants closed was that Manhattan has a dense population where infections can spread faster.
But he refused to give data to restaurateurs when they asked. Manhattan’s test positivity rate on Monday was 3.48%. In the Bronx, it was 7%.
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