Indoor dining has resumed in New York, nearly two months after Governor Andrew Cuomo suspended the practice amid a second spate of COVID-19 cases.
On Friday, enlightened restaurant owners were finally able to let them inside again for the first time since December 13, though it was less.
Restaurants are currently allowed to fill only 25 percent of their indoor space – many of which say they will still not survive, while three-quarters of their tables remain empty.
Some insist that Governor Cuomo allows eateries to operate at a capacity of 50 percent – an idea he says he is open to, as long as the number of cases of coronavirus continues to decline.
New York City is still picking up thousands of new COVID-19 cases a day, but the numbers are dropping slightly after a boom after the holidays.
On Friday, the seven-day average COVID positivity rate for the Big Apple was at 7.9 percent. Deaths and hospitalizations remain much lower than in the spring of 2020, during which time the city was the global epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic.
Cuomo’s government was initially ready to reopen indoor dining on February 14, but decided to bring the date forward by two days.
From Sunday, restaurants can also work for another hour – with a closing time of 23:00, in contrast to the current mandate of 22:00.
I will have what she has! Indoor dining has resumed in New York, nearly two months after Governor Andrew Cuomo suspended the practice amid a second spate of COVID-19 cases. Happy Eaters is seen at Katz’s Delicatessen on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, known as a place in the romcom 1989 when Harry Met Sally
A group of girlfriends are picked up for lunch inside Dante in Manhattan on Friday
Restaurants can currently fill only 25 percent of their indoor space – many of which say they will still not survive, while three-quarters of their tables remain empty. Dante in Manhattan is pictured
Cheers for that! Eager New Yorkers are happily on their way to a drink in the Red Lion, Greenwich Village, after being left on snow-covered sidewalks for months.
Visitors were still separated by plastic screens at Cafe Reggio in Greenwich Village in Manhattan on Friday
On Friday, eager New Yorkers are happily looking for restaurants, despite the CDC saying that indoor dining has an increased risk of spreading and contracting COVID-19.
Locals were eager to enjoy the warmth of eateries after eating on snow-covered sidewalks under cold temperatures for months.
On Friday, restaurants told local news networks they hoped they would never have to close indoor eateries.
“We hope it’s best to stay here now, light at the end of the tunnel, the vaccine is here, the numbers are going down,” one chief operating officer of a steakhouse in Manhattan told CBS2.
“If it happens again, the devastation will be complete. It’s so hard to pay the bills with just seats outside. ‘
Last week, the NYC Hospitality Alliance welcomed Cuomo’s decision to reopen indoor dining two days earlier so the eateries could maximize maximum business over Valentine’s Day weekend.
‘We recommend Governor Cuomo that on Friday he allow indoor dining in New York City to resume, instead of Sunday the originally scheduled date.
‘It will enable restaurants to earn much-needed revenue from the Valentine’s Day weekend industry, many of whom would have lost out because the holiday falls on a Sunday this year.
The Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce also welcomed the news.
‘Brooklyn restaurants and industrial workers are surviving a thread, and with cases of COVID-19 and declining hospitalizations in the city, we support Governor Cuomo’s decision to secure the safe reopening of a highly regulated 25% indoor dining room to increase Friday Valentine’s Day.
“Many Brooklyn residents will now be able to celebrate the holidays in a restaurant earlier this weekend and offer a few days ahead for struggling small businesses and workers to earn a little more money to support themselves and their families,” Randy Peers , Brooklyn. President and CEO of the Chamber of Commerce told DailyMail.com.
Last week, the NYC Hospitality Alliance welcomed Cuomo’s decision to reopen indoor dining two days early so restaurants could maximize business over Valentine’s Day weekend.
Government Cuomo was initially ready to reopen indoor eateries on February 14, but decided to bring the date forward two days. From Sunday, restaurants can also work for another hour – with a closing time of 23:00, in contrast to the current mandate of 22:00.
The big indoor! Visitors enjoy the comfort of a warm cabin at The Metro Diner on the Upper West Side of Manhattan
Table for two! Restaurants hope to have a busy weekend while couples celebrate Valentine’s Day. One couple was photographed eating in Shuka, Manhattan
Outdoor options are still available, and many still choose to sit outside in the hot air
