NYC Indoor Dining Reopens on Valentineâs Day
Feb. 1, 2021 New York City will resume indoor dining on Valentineâs Day, though capacity will be limited to 25%, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Friday.
Cuomo banned indoor dining in mid-December to slow the spread of the coronavirus during the holidays but said the recent decline in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations is reassuring.
âWe were expecting this surge, and we handled it, and weâre on the other side of it,â Cuomo said during a news briefing.
In 2020, Cuomo ordered restaurants to close in March and reopened some indoor dining in late September. He prohibited it again in mid-December to prevent coronavirus transmission during the busy holidays.
Cuomo announces NYC indoor dining will FINALLY be able to start again but not until Valentine s Day and only at 25% capacity - as heartbroken restaurants ask why they have to wait another two weeks
Cuomo announced on Friday that indoor dining could finally resume on February 14 after closing on December 14
Restaurants will only be allowed to serve people at a 25% capacity
By contrast, on Long Island - which has the highest test positivity rate in the state - can welcome 50% of their total capacity
Restaurants are demanding to know they have to wait two weeks to reopen
Cuomo has been sued by NYC restaurants and others are planning to file complaints
Indoor dining in NYC can resume at 25% capacity on Valentine s Day, Cuomo says
January 29, 2021 / 12:58 PM / CBS News Cuomo says indoor dining can resume in NYC
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo says indoor dining can resume in New York City at 25% capacity on February 14, Valentine s Day. The restaurants want a period of time so they can notify workers, they can get up to speed for indoor dining, order supplies, etc., he said at a COVID-19 briefing on Friday.
Cuomo closed restaurants to indoor dining on December 14, preventing the struggling businesses from cashing in on the lucrative Christmas and New Year s seasons. Hospitalizations have not stabilized, and with a rising infection rate and NYC s density, this means that indoor dining is too high of a risk, the governor tweeted at the time.