Indoor dining has resumed in New York City, nearly two months after government Andrew Cuomo shut down the practice amid a second wave of COVID-19 cases.
Friday, relieved restaurant owners were finally able to let customers in again for the first time since December 13, albeit with reduced capacity.
Restaurants are currently only allowed to fill 25 percent of their indoor space – and many say they still won’t survive if three-quarters of their tables are left empty.
Some are pushing Cuomo’s government to run dining outlets at 50 percent – an idea he says is open to as long as coronavirus cases continue to decline.
New York City is still registering thousands of new COVID-19 cases per day, but the number is declining slightly after a wave of post-holiday vacation.
On Friday, the seven-day average COVID positivity rate for the Big Apple was 7.9 percent. Deaths and hospital admissions remain much lower than in the spring of 2020, when the city was the global epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic.
Gov. Cuomo was initially about to reopen indoor dining on Feb. 14, but decided to bring the date forward by two days.
From Sunday onwards, restaurants can also be open an hour longer – with a closing time of 11 PM, as opposed to the current mandatory time of 10 PM.
I’ll have what she has! Indoor dining has resumed in New York City, nearly two months after government Andrew Cuomo shut down the practice amid a second wave of COVID-19 cases. Happy dinners can be seen at Katz’s Delicatessen on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, famous as a location on the 1989 rom-com When Harry Met Sally
The photo shows a group of friends having lunch at Dante in Manhattan on Friday
Restaurants can currently only fill 25 percent of their indoor space – and many say they still won’t survive if three-quarters of their tables are left empty. Dante in Manhattan is depicted
Cheers to that! The photo depicted enthusiastic New Yorkers happily going in for a drink in the Red Lion, Greenwich Village, after standing on snow-covered sidewalks for months
The customers were still separated by plastic screens at Cafe Reggio in Greenwich Village in Manhattan on Friday
On Friday, eager New Yorkers were pictured gleefully entering restaurants, despite the CDC’s statement that dining indoors carries an increased risk of COVID-19 spreading and contracting.
Locals were eager to enjoy the warmth of the eateries after months of eating on snow-covered sidewalks in freezing temperatures.
On Friday, restaurateurs told local news networks that they hope they never have to close their homes again.
“We hope this is the ultimate, here to stay now, light at the end of the tunnel, the vaccine is here, the numbers are going down,” a Manhattan steakhouse operations director told CBS2.
If this happens again, the destruction will be complete. It’s so hard to pay the bills when you sit outside alone. ‘
Last week, the NYC Hospitality Alliance welcomed Cuomo’s decision to reopen in two days early so that dining options can maximize their business on Valentine’s Day weekend.
We commend Gov. Cuomo for allowing indoor dining to resume in New York City on Fridays, rather than Sundays on the originally scheduled date.
This allows restaurants to generate much-needed revenue from the Valentine’s Day weekend activities, which they would have lost a lot as the holiday falls on a Sunday this year.
The Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce also welcomed the news.
Brooklyn restaurants and industrial workers are surviving by a thread, and with COVID-19 cases and hospital admissions declining across the city, we support Governor Cuomo’s decision to secure the safe reopening of highly regulated, 25% occupancy in-house dining to Friday earlier increase. Valentine’s Day.
“ Many Brooklynites will now be able to holiday in a restaurant earlier on weekends, providing a few days head start for small businesses and workers struggling to make a little more money to support themselves and their families, ” Randy Peers, Brooklyn The President and CEO of the Chamber of Commerce told DailyMail.com.
Last week, the NYC Hospitality Alliance welcomed Cuomo’s decision to reopen in two days early, allowing dining options to maximize their business on Valentine’s Day weekend
Gov. Cuomo was initially about to reopen indoor dining on Feb. 14, but decided to bring the date forward for two days. From Sundays, restaurants can also be open an hour longer – with a closing time of 11 PM, as opposed to the current mandatory time of 10 PM.
The great inside! Customers enjoy the comfort of a warm booth at The Metro Diner on Manhattan’s Upper West Side on Fridays
Table for two! Restaurants hope they will have a busy weekend when couples head out to celebrate Valentine’s Day. A couple were photographed eating at Shuka in Manhattan
Outdoor dining is still available, and many still choose to sit outside in the fresh air
