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Governor Andrew Cuomo said dining in New York City can operate at 75% of capacity beginning May 7, bringing rules in the City in line with the rest of the state.
COVID-19 restrictions are easing for dining at restaurants and drinking at bars across the state, but the industry, hit hard by the pandemic, says more needs to be done.
This week, the state Legislature ended an executive order by Governor Andrew Cuomo that required food to be served with all alcoholic drink orders. It had been in place ever since bars and restaurants were allowed to reopen last summer.
The measure passed unanimously in both houses on April 28. Senator Ed Rath, from the Buffalo area, supported legal challenges from some western New York restaurants to end many of the restrictions, including limits on indoor dining capacity and curfews. He spoke on the Senate floor.
Governor Andrew Cuomo says dining in New York City can operate at 75% of capacity beginning May 7, bringing rules in the city in line with the rest of the
WBFO Albany correspondent Karen DeWitt reports.
This week, the state Legislature ended an executive order by Cuomo that required food to be served with all alcoholic drink orders. It had been in place ever since bars and restaurants were allowed to reopen last summer.
Credit WBFO file photo/Karen DeWitt
The measure passed unanimously in both houses on April 28.
Sen. Ed Rath from the Buffalo area supported legal challenges from some western New York restaurants to end many of the restrictions, including limits on indoor dining capacity and curfews.
“While this is a welcome step, it has taken far too long to get here,” Rath said on the Senate floor. “It shouldn’t take lawsuits and court hearings for our struggling restaurants to be heard.”
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Should restaurants in New York be allowed to continue to-go alcohol sales even after the pandemic? Many local leaders and business owners say yes.
New York s alcohol to go bill is currently authorized via a temporary executive order, which allowed alcoholic drinks to be ordered and delivered, along with takeout food. As the pandemic begins to subside, lawmakers would like to see the practice extended for at least the next two years, giving restaurants and bars ample time to recover and adjust to post-pandemic times.
Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan and other elected officials gathered Wednesday in Albany outside the Savoy Taproom on Lark Street .