What you should know
- Individuals must place takeout orders remotely, over the phone or online, and cannot do so in person.
- Additionally, customers must pick up their orders on the curb and must not enter the establishment to receive their order.
- Restaurant patrons may use restrooms but must wear appropriate face covers. They cannot enter for another reason.
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NEW YORK – New York City restaurant patrons will now be banned from establishments for any reason. That was the headline of the mayor’s office Thursday night when an updated list of the rules for eating at restaurants in the city was released.
The new rule created immediate confusion: “Customers cannot enter the interior of the establishment for any reason”, read the order tweeted by the mayor’s legal advisor. So there is no access to the toilets? People wondered.
However, Mayor Bill de Blasio clarified this question during his briefing Friday on COVID-19 and assured New Yorkers that the restrooms would be open for customer use.
“We all need to use the bathroom sometimes. There is no question that it was a mistake,” the mayor said in his briefing on Friday. “If you are in the restaurant, you have the right to use the bathroom.”
The state liquor authority also updated its New York City dining guide, which included clarification that restaurant patrons can use restrooms but must wear the proper face coverings.
Top Deputy Gov. Andrew Cuomo Melissa DeRosa said it was unclear why the city published the rules (orders for dining inside are issued by the state, not the city).
“The city issued the rules yesterday without consulting us or asking for clarification and then obviously we saw the news and as soon as we did, the head of the SLA, Vince Bradley, released a clarifying statement this morning,” DeRosa explained Friday.
Other rules were included in order to keep customers out of restaurants. As of now, people must place takeout orders remotely, over the phone or online, and cannot do so in person. Additionally, customers must pick up their orders on the curb and must not enter the establishment to receive their order.
Alfresco dining was suspended during the winter storm, but resumed Thursday at 6:00 p.m.
The rules established by the state went into effect on December 14.
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