Friday, February 19, 2021

Indoor dining to expand to 35-percent capacity next week

Gov. Cuomo today announced that indoor dining will expand from 25 to 35 percent starting next Friday (Feb. 26!). The news comes one week after the return of indoor dining in NYC.

During today's press briefing, Cuomo said that COVID-19 data continue to improve, allowing New York to continue on a path toward reopening.

The rest of the New York state's restaurants, including on Long Island and in Westchester, are operating at 50 percent capacity. As the governor noted, the 35-percent capacity will be the same as New Jersey's current mandate. 

Cuomo originally ended indoor dining in the city in December after two-plus months ahead of an expected holiday-related spike in COVID-19 positivity rates. 

You can read more reaction/analysis via Gothamist and Eater.

Photo of Lavagna on Fifth Street last weekend by Stacie Joy.

9 comments:

Beacon, NY said...

Cuomo who grew up in Queens thinks he's a know it all for the entire State of NY when it comes to rules and regulations.

Imagine someone by the Adirondacks not far from the Canadian border taking a nod to the Queens native because he is supposed to know better what is good for him in his vicinity?

Gojira said...

15% more and Little Poland has promised to re-open...

Anonymous said...

What are you even talking about? Upstate is at 50% already for months.
Also, not enough people live in the Adirondacks, in order to tell the 9 million New Yorkers how to live. And they voted trump anyway.

Beacon, NY said...

The "King of NY" Cuomo makes a good laugh if you can't stand him is what I'm talking about.

Yes, Upstate is 50% because there is no other region in the state is as dense as NYC with its people.

#DONTEVERCALLMEBRO said...

Also, generally upstate, the demo is much older than the EV. No way am I going to eat inside or outside (the "outside" eating here is a joke) for now in the EV where the clientele majority is Zoomer and young Millennial, many who may be asymptomatic and 99% of them who have had a zero COVID-19 impact on them heath wise. We should have had Federal government support for the hospitality industry owners and employees like Europe, but you know, SOCIALISM!

Beacon, NY said...

Upstate has a few college towns that do indeed have a large Zoomer and Millennial demographic. But upstate isn't as burgeoning and crowded, nowhere in any shape or form concentrated with so many people in one place like Manhattan which is why it's 50%.

Upstate is a generic term for any place north of the Big Apple, but real Upstate NY is generally any place where the MTA doesn't have its tentacles asking people for money via commuter taxes. You could live one of the few counties in the Hudson River Valley and have not been to NYC for ages yet owning a business up there means you will have to pay the MTA for its rails and buses that connect you to "the city".

twittoris said...

They better fully open till 4am when getting the vaccine isn't an issue. I'm done with this fear mongering. They should also mandate a partial return to the office. I'm sick of seeing an empty NYC.

Beacon, NY said...

A mandate for a partial return to the office would make the MTA jubilee.

You'll see throngs of commuters heading down to NYC from the counties north of it as far as 2 hours away riding the rails.

Now why would anyone who lives 2 hours north of New York City want to commute to "the city" for work regularly? Apparently, this is America.

Anonymous said...

NYC should be treated the same as the rest of the state. Six feet apart inside a restaurant in Westchester is the same as six feet apart in a restaurant in Manhattan. Street pedestrian density is irrelevant, we’re talking about indoors. In fact, the state’s own stats pointed to dining being a non-relevant fraction of cases when Cuomo inanely shut it down again in Dec.