The internal mass resumed in New York City, almost two months after Governor Andrew Cuomo suspended the practice amid a second wave of COVID-19 cases.
On Friday, relieved restaurant owners finally managed to let patrons return inside for the first time since Dec. 13 – albeit at a reduced capacity.
Currently, restaurants are allowed to fill only 25% of their interior space – many saying they will not survive, with three-quarters of their meals left empty.
Some are pushing for Governor Cuomo to allow restaurants to operate at 50% capacity – an idea he says is open as long as the number of coronavirus cases continues to decline.
New York City still has thousands of new COVID-19 cases a day, but the number is declining slightly after a post-holiday increase.
On Friday, the average seven-day COVID positivity rate for the Big Apple was 7.9%. Deaths and hospitalizations remain much lower than in the spring of 2020, when the city was the global epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic.
Governor Cuomo was initially prepared to reopen the indoor restaurant on February 14, but decided to bring the date two days.
From Sunday, the restaurants will be able to operate for an additional hour – with a closing time of 23:00, as opposed to the current mandatory time of 22:00.
I will have what he has! The massacre resumed in New York City, almost two months after Governor Andrew Cuomo suspended the practice amid a second wave of COVID-19 cases. Happy diners are seen at Katz’s Delicatessen on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, famous for its location in the 1989 romcom When Harry Met Sally
A group of friends are pictured arriving for lunch in Dante, Manhattan, on Friday
Currently, restaurants can fill only 25 percent of their interior space – many saying they will not survive, with three-quarters of their meals left empty. Dante from Manhattan is illustrated
Good luck with that! Eager New Yorkers were pictured happily heading for a drink at Red Lion, Greenwich Village, after months of being left on the snow-covered sidewalks.
Owners were still separated from plastic screens at the Reggio Cafe in Greenwich Village, Manhattan on Friday.
On Friday, impatient New Yorkers were happily pictured going inside the restaurants, despite the fact that the CDC says the indoor restaurant carries an increased risk of spreading and contracting COVID-19.
The locals were eager to enjoy the warmth of the restaurants after months of eating on the snow-covered sidewalks, at temperatures below freezing.
On Friday, the restaurateurs told local news networks that they hope they will never have to close the table inside again.
“Hopefully this is the last one, here to stay now, light at the end of the tunnel, the vaccine is here, the numbers are declining,” a Manhattan steakhouse chief operating officer told CBS2.
“If it happens again, the devastation will be complete. It’s so hard to pay the bills only with outdoor seats.
Last week, the NYC Hospitality Alliance welcomed Cuomo’s decision to reopen the indoor restaurant two days earlier so that restaurants could maximize their business on Valentine’s Day weekend.
“We congratulate Governor Cuomo for allowing the table to resume indoors in New York on Friday, instead of Sunday, the date originally scheduled.
“This will allow restaurants to generate much-needed revenue from Valentine’s Day weekend activities, much of which they would have lost because the holiday falls on a Sunday this year.
The Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce also welcomed the news.
“Brooklyn restaurants and industry workers are surviving by a thread, and with COVID-19 cases and declining hospitalizations across the city, we support Governor Cuomo’s decision to lift the 25% occupancy table reopening safely by Friday before Valentine’s Day. .
“Many Brooklynites will now be able to celebrate the holiday at a restaurant earlier in the weekend, offering a few days ahead for small businesses and workers struggling to earn a little more money to support themselves and their families,” Randy Peers Brooklyn President and CEO of the Chamber of Commerce told DailyMail.com.
Last week, the NYC Hospitality Alliance welcomed Cuomo’s decision to reopen the indoor restaurant two days earlier so that restaurants could maximize their business on Valentine’s Day weekend.
The Cuomo government was initially prepared to reopen the indoor restaurant on February 14, but decided to bring the date two days ahead. From Sunday, restaurants will be able to operate for an additional hour – with a closing time of 23:00, as opposed to the current mandatory time of 22:00
The great interior! Employers enjoy the comfort of a warm stand at The Metro Diner on Manhattan’s Upper West Side on Friday
Meal for two! The restaurants hope to have a busy weekend, while the couples go to celebrate Valentine’s Day. A couple was photographed eating at Shuka in Manhattan
Outdoor dining options remain available and many still choose to sit outside in the open air
