New York City restaurants can increase indoor dining capacity to 35%, starting on Friday, February 26th.
Governor Andrew Cuomo made the announcement during his Friday press conference, a week after allowing indoor eateries in the city to return (at 25% capacity) since closing in December 2020.
Indoor meals with a capacity of 35% now bring the city to the same level as allowed in New Jersey, while restaurants in other parts of New York, such as Long Island and Westchester County, currently welcome residences with 50% capacity.
Restaurants are expected to follow many safety precautions to reopen for indoor meals. Experts, including the city’s best public health adviser, dr. Jay Varma, recommends those interested in eating indoors, limit their group size and also see how well the institution follows pandemic protocols, such as removing tables.
The city’s restaurant trade group, the NYC Hospitality Alliance, hopes indoor dining can go up to 50% soon, noting that 140,000 jobs have been lost since the start of the pandemic.
Earlier this month, restaurant workers were eligible for vaccine appointments. However, some employees are anxious. “I wish [Cuomo] would wait to see if our numbers go up, which we will not know for another three to seven days, “said Rebecca, a waiter and bartender at Carroll Gardens, who spoke to Gothamist after reunions last weekend. ” , as so many in the service industry and other eligible groups are still struggling to get a vaccine, he needs to slow down his role. ‘