Photo: Stock Unplash @lucabravo
Nov. 11, 2020 By Allie Griffin
Restaurants, bars and gyms across New York State must close by 10 p.m. beginning Friday, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced today.
Cuomo said the new mandates were needed since the COVID-19 infection rate continues to rise across the state. He told reporters that bars and restaurants play an outsized role in the spread of the virus.
The new restrictions, which take effect Friday, mean eateries in New York City must shutter their indoor dining areas two hours earlier than currently allowed. Presently, bars and restaurants must close indoor dining at midnight and outdoor dining at 11 p.m.
The governor said restaurants and bars must shut down both indoor and outdoor dining by 10 p.m.
The restrictions are going to have a significant impact on bars and restaurants as winter approaches.
“The cut back to our indoor hours will hurt our industry the most especially as the weather gets cold,” said Nick Murphy, co-owner of Bar 43 in Sunnyside. “I’m not hopeful about the winter.”
Bars and restaurants will still be able to provide takeout and delivery of food past 10. p.m. However, takeout and delivery of alcohol is not allowed past the 10 p.m. curfew under the new rules.
Gyms are also subject to a 10 p.m. curfew beginning Friday. Gyms are another “identified” coronavirus spreader, Cuomo said.
The governor also announced that no more than 10 people will be permitted to gather at private homes statewide. This is in line with nearby states, such as New Jersey, which has put a similar cap in place.
Cuomo said indoor parties are another “great spreader” of COVID-19, as identified by state contact tracers.
“Bars, restaurants, gyms, house parties — that’s where [coronavirus spread] is coming from, primarily,” Cuomo said. “Those are the ones that we can address.”
Cuomo enacted the mandates as COVID-19 cases are on the rise in New York and nationwide.
The COVID-19 positivity rate in New York reached 2.93 percent yesterday — which is below many surrounding states’ rates. However, the positivity rate has steadily increased since summer ended when it was below one percent.
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59 Comments
I live very close to a good number of restaurants. This weekend was so peaceful. I slept so well. I wish they could close at 10 pm forever.
everyone built outside eating areas, surrounded by plexiglass on 4 sides, the law requires 2 sides to be open. No enforcement, I blame Coumo and Deblasio for the virus spreading in these outside plywood boxes of death.
Not all restaurants opted to build a street shed. The restaurant owners are the ones who design their own outdoor dining set-up. Don’t like it? Then don’t dine at that restaurant, or do take out.
Might as well do the opposite of whatever gov’t tells you to do at this point. You’re likely to end up with the same or better results.
Just ask Jared Kushner who announced publicly that Donald Trump had taken full control of the CDC from the Doctors and Scientists. Our safety was high jacked and comprised by a narcissistic psychopath who now refuses to relinquish power.
COVID victim Donald Trump said to “liberate” from health restrictions
So the opposite of that would be…following this 10pm rule? Didn’t really think that through did ya ?
Hunker down and do your part, comrade.
Distance is a factor in transmission. Look for a place where you can dine with household members at least 10 feet from others. Avoid tents. You are better off eating out in the fresh air. You must still practice social distancing guidelines even when dining out. Avoid close contact witb waiters. Tips GMA aired today as they discussed dining tents being super spreaders because they are enclosed.
Make the servers delivery people, and charge 10% surcharge for delivery. Case closed.
WHY DO PEOPLE HATE EATING AT HOME?
This all started from the immigration problem that was being addressed, massive amounts of people coming in and leaving the country with all sorts of diseases now that the virus is in our cities the same people who were “outraged” about our immigration concerns are the same people who tell us to wear mask and have the audacity to get angry and throw a fit when some one doesn’t obey.
Fos- The coronavirus pandemic in US was traced to Italy and Italian airline flights. You’re horribly misinformed.
Uh, there were American citizens on those flights. Do you think the government should stop Americans from returning to the USA? The virus originated in China and China runs the factories in Northern Italy and sent their own workers there.
Trump promised Mexico would make a “one-time payment” from Mexico for the wall.
That was 4 years ago…now you want to blame our immigration problems on someone else?!
You can still get food and drinks to go after 10 pm.
The tents that restaurants are setting up are not only ugly, they are unsafe. Covid will spread just as freely in them as it does indoors. But DeBlaz is ok with the tents because they are taking up parking spaces.
Are gatherings for transformative moments still exempt from Covid mandates?
why lock down? Just because of the Trump Flu? Why not lots of infectious people inside a small place in the winter?
i dont see why we need a lockdown. i mean, its only death from a deadly virus. you can walk it off, lol.
More and more people are leaving NYC and NYS for less taxes, more opportunity and more freedom. Cuomo and deblasio ruined NYS and NYC.
Go south – What’s stopping you? People are willing to pay exponentially more money to live in the North East and West Coast because the opportunities are exponentially greater. Fact!!More millionaires and billionaires are made in California Maryland Connecticut Massachusetts New Jersey and New York. Look it up. Taxes aren’t the whole picture. According to Forbes and Craines Business if you want to make real money go to North East and West Coast. The mediocre are fleeing and the winners are staying and thriving.The South and right to work legislation keeps wages low. Very little upward mobility in the south. You better bring your own money like everybody else with money in Florida did.
housing prices and rents are gonna go into free fall. back to the 80s where buildings were boarded up and abandoned.
They want the country to go broke so they can promise desperate people food and housing and introduce Communism to buy their allegiance. China wins and becomes the biggest superpower.
El Cubanito – Your post is ridiculous like voting for a failed businessman into the highest office in the because of his business savvy. He was a reality game host, you voted for him. Do you really think anyone takes anything you say seriously?
Democrats tell people that society owes them what they are incapable of obtaining themselves. The keyword is INCAPABLE. Once people buy into that lie, their lives are over. Then people rely on Democrats to give them what they want. When Democrats make these promises, they will NEVER deliver, because, if people don’t go out and work for what they want, they will always expect more, and Democrats will insist that their needs are blamed because someone else is at fault. It is an endless cycle that ends in CATASTROPHE.
Aboondy- Where were you educated? To quote you “ Then people rely on Democrats to give them what they want.” Democrats don’t give anything nor do the Republicans. These are political parties they create and implement policies. Through the implementation of these policies there are people who benefit and people who don’t benefit. It has nothing to do with your false and warped impression of “work”. Democrats and Republicans tell their constituents that society “owes”, it’s called politicking and pandering. You may want to look at your use of the word catastrophe. Just google the poorest and wealthiest US states per capita, individual wealth You’ll notice all states with the highest in individual wealth are democratic an all the poorest are Republican. If this is your definition of “ catastrophe”, I welcome democratic policies.
Hm. Are you suggesting that Cuba was better under the dictatorship of Batista? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fulgencio_Batista#Military_coup_and_second_presidency_(1952%E2%80%931959)
Like closing them an hourly earlier is going to make a difference fighting the spread of the virus. This will only hurt business. And as far as customers it all depends on the person. I have two young adult single twins. One is careful and stays home while the other goes out every night with his friends.
Happy hour should be around noon.
…people who have not lost a cent of income, have full heath insurance, again lock down small business in the city…
…people who have not lost a loved one or gotten seriously ill themselves, again baselessly criticize people smarter than them.
John – Everybody even those working have lost money. I know people who have lost loved ones, money, relatives, neighbors, jobs and businesses. It’s a pandemic, grow up. If you were in London during the blitz you’d be crying about taking cover.
Mac-served with the USMC for 4 years, I’d be the one protecting you, keyboard tough guy.
John I served too..Are you looking for a pat on the back? At this stage most if not everyone has lost a friend or loved one to this awful pandemic. The only ones who haven’t lost a cent of revenue in this pandemic are the municipal employees. Restaurants are suffering in places with minimal or no restrictions as well. People do not want to eat inside, just ask the owners of the restaurants around here. No demand no revenue, a simple economic equation. Semper Fi.
Big Mac attack. Stand back.
Are religious institutions exempt?
i thought they were above the law? like the ones in brooklyn.
Not above, just well versed on the Constitution unlike you. Polk high’s finest over here.
I am usually asleep by 10 pm. Mornings and afternoons will be the new party times. This should close all business on Sundays.
What a hoax. Lives were saved during the restrictions, werey supposed to believe that means they work?!
OK so you close the restaurants at 10pm when most are closed at 11pm anyways. They will just go home and have a party where most of the spreading is occurring.
People don’t want to listen. You need to wear a mask and social distance or bars restaurants and gyms will be closed. I don’t think closing at 10 pm will have much impact. The infection rate won’t go down and in two weeks there places will be closed 24/7.
9:58 were perfectly safe I guess
Stupidest thing I ever heard.
Did Coumo drop this idea into his covid victory book?
Politicize much lately? Trumper you’re an uninformed uneducated broken record.
Says the guy with the name crybaby conservatism lol
Boondy- You do know the name crybaby conservatism was coined by conservative writer George Will.
I don’t get it, everyone is wearing mask, how is it spreading. I bet it’s those people from out of town. All those who “escaped” from NY and went to other states, now all those other states report MUCH higher numbers than NY, and those people are coming back to NY bringing the damn virus with them. Cuomo has great idea to require negative test for everyone flying, but what about those who drive? They need to use ezpass data and check if anyone reported longer than few days in other states, and request they get tested.
Something DRASTIC needs to be done to stop the spread, and strike hard.
I wonder if completely covered “outdoor” dining contributes to this too, they are supposed to be outdoor FOR A REASON, they are completely covering them making them basically additional dining area outside with no air circulation.
Where you been? More and more people are NOT masking up!!!
Not everyone is wearing a mask, and some are still wearing it like a chin guard in public. The virus is airborne, so a chin guard doesn’t protect you or others. Needs to cover your nose & mouth.
“everyone is wearing mask, how is it spreading”
Because masks don’t work, that’s how. It’s all a farce, shutting down the economy for a virus with a 99.9% survival rate.
Not so sensible and quite uninformed- Studies done around the world have shown masks work. https://www.kwch.com/video/2020/10/28/university-kansas-study-shows-masks-effectiveness-fight-against-covid-/
Then he got COVID. Oops!
Medical workers take this virus VERY seriously, and put their lives on the line every day, busting their butt to save lives. Many of them have face scars from wearing a mask 12 hours a day, and I dare you to ask any one of them if this is all a farce. It isn’t.
The survival rate is not the whole story either. There are long-term effects and lasting damage to the body that is still not fully understood. Ask a Covid survivor.
You should stay home and deliver things you need to your door. Infection rates continue to spread and rise worldwide with the USA ?? on top. No matter what you do the risk is still there. I heard of people getting it through shared air vents in offices and homes.
Does this mean we should not reserve a table for new years eve? This is all so stressful.
So we will have a bunch of people having house parties and drinking outside. And people please no need to chit chat with every person who looks familiar in the neighborhood. Just wink?or wave ? and keep it moving.
The virus is airborne. Are the utensils plates tables and chairs being properly cleaned? The tables are not spaced out. Take down those tents. Encourage people to order and eat at home. I was at the bar last week and left early because so many drunk people were all over each other.
Cuomo and his fellow knucklehead Dumblazio have a deap-seated vendetta against the restaurant and bar industry for some reason. This has squat to to with public health. They just enjoy being bullies.
Flattening the curve is what it’s all about.
Take this seriously. Some obviously did not.