Restaurants in New York will no longer be able to serve customers indoors as of Monday, State Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Friday in an attempt to stem the rise in COVID-19 cases.
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Suspended for five months, room service was authorized again from September 30, with a maximum level of 25% of the establishment’s initial capacity.
But after keeping transmission of the virus at low levels for several months, New York State is experiencing an acceleration in the number of positive cases and hospitalizations linked to the disease.
A member of Andrew Cuomo’s team said Wednesday that indoor service was the fastest growing source of contamination in New York State.
At least 1,000 restaurants have closed in New York since March due to an untenable economic situation, according to culinary site Eater.
According to a survey released by the New York State Restaurant Association on Friday, 54% of restaurant owners plan to have to shut down their establishment permanently within six months if they do not receive financial support from the government.
To partially offset restrictions on indoor service, New York City implemented a program allowing many restaurants to create or expand their outdoor space.
With the onset of winter, many have installed tents and heaters, on the sidewalk or even directly on the street, which are meeting with some success.
“I think it’s reasonable,” Governor Cuomo commented of the decision, recalling that the allowable tonnage was only 25% so far. “And it’s not final. (…) It is for a short period ”.
Failure to tighten restrictions in the midst of the resurgence of the pandemic would “run the risk of total containment,” warned Andrew Cuomo.
Friday, the mayor of New York, who has no authority in the matter, also estimated that with the rise in health indicators, “it (was) time to suspend the service inside”.
“It’s difficult,” he admitted. “There are so many struggling restaurants. But we cannot let this virus take control in this city ”.
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