Gov. Cuomo Suspends Indoor Dining in New York City Amid Covid-19 Case Surge

Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D-NY) has once again suspended indoor dining in New York City restaurants in an effort to halt the rising number of coronavirus cases in the state.

Cuomo suggested that a shutdown was imminent during a news conference last week due to the rise of hospitalized coronavirus patients, and confirmed Friday that hospitalizations had continued to climb this past week.

“The hospitalizations continue to increase in New York City,” he said. “We said that we would watch it. If the hospitalization didn’t stabilize, we would close indoor dining. It has not. We’re going to close indoor dining on Monday.”

Outdoor dining, takeout, and delivery will all continue.

The governor also urged the federal government to commit to providing relief to those who work at restaurants and bars in the next stimulus package.

Cuomo’s decision marks a huge blow for the restaurant industry, which has been struggling since the first lockdown measures were put in place last Spring. Indoor dining had also only been operating since the end of September, with 25 percent capacity.

According to New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, the daily number of hospitalized Covid-19 cases hit 205 on Friday– marking the first time the number has surpassed its threshold of 200.