LATEST: Indoor Dining to Return on Valentine’s Day
When asked about the return of indoor dining in NYC, Mayor de Blasio made a statement at his daily press briefing on Monday, August 31, which didn’t sound too promising :
“Is there a way where we can do something safely with indoor dining? So far, we have not had that moment, honestly, we’ve been really straight forward about it. We have not had the opportunity to do it safely.
More: New Bill Allows NYC Restaurants To Add 10% Surcharge to Bill
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“I do expect – I pray for and expect – a vaccine in the spring – that will allow us all to get more back to normal. But I will absolutely tell you, we’re going to keep looking for that situation where we can push down the virus enough where we would have more ability to address indoor dining.
“But it would take a huge step forward to get to that point, that’s the truth.”
Governor Cuomo seconded these dire sentiments with his comments on indoor dining … though they were not quite as dire as the Mayor’s.
“We’re coming into Labor Day; Labor Day will see more people going back to school … that is a factor we have to watch. We’re coming into the fall … flu season. Flu season is a factor that we have to watch. I’m very aware of the balance. I’m aware that the restaurants in New York City are unhappy with doing no indoor dining, I understand the economic consequences. I understand their argument will be exacerbated when they say New Jersey can go to 25%, and it is something we are watching and we are considering. I want as much economic activity as quickly as possible; we also want to make sure the transmission rate stays under control.”
Cuomo wrapped up his comments by stating that it’s up to the State (not the City) to decide when indoor dining returns.
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Indoor dining was originally expected to return to the City on July 6, with the commencement of Phase 3. However, this was with the caveat that all indicators were on track, and unfortunately, they were not. At the beginning of July, it was first concluded that indoor dining would be postponed indefinitely.
Upper West Side restaurants have been struggling, and unfortunately, closings have shown no signs of slowing down.
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This mayor is rotten to his communist core. Every restauranteur in this city should band together and lodge a class action suit against the city and state.
I couldn’t agree with you more. There is no valid reason at this point to not have indoor dining. This mayor is a sadistic phony radical fascist. The restaurants should sue
Mayor De Blasio does not comprehend the economic consequences of not allowing indoor dining in New York City. If he and Governor Cuomo do not allow indoor dining to resume by the time outdoor dining ends at the end of October, thousands of waiters and waitresses will be out of work again at city restaurants. Many restaurants are barely getting by now, and many others are struggling and not able to pay full rent, or pay any rent at all. Mayor De Blasio saying that indoor dining cannot resume until there is a vaccine for coronavirus is not acceptable. What if there is no vaccine until March or April of next year? Many restaurants will be forced to go out of business if indoor dining does not return in New York City.
This is absolutely ridiculous. Keep this up and there won’t be anymore restaurants to open.
So should they open for indoor dining even if it isn’t safe? Out of work servers or in servers and their families in the hospital or dead? It not just about economics. We are one of the welthiest cities in one of the wealthiest countries in the world. Maybe we should figure out how to get these people income until it is safe for them to go back to work. If you don’t care about peoples safety maybe you should move to Florida, and stop calling people communists.
If the communist comment fits, he should wear it! And FYI – I’m not going anywhere, especially Florida. This is my city a much as it is yours.
Regarding your comment about safety…does this sound like he’s basing his approach on science? Of course not, it’s all about his contorted, control-all socialist ideology. He gets off on this level of control and couldn’t care less about the people he supposedly advocates for.
Read it yourself in the Post. Better yet, read here:
“Mayor Bill de Blasio suggested Tuesday he’s reluctant to restart indoor dining because it’s an activity for middle- and upper-income New Yorkers that clashes with his pledge to transform the Big Apple’s “tale of two cities” with progressive policies.”
Don’t talk to me about safety when these are his own words.
Brix – Maybe you should move to Portland.
Comrade Deblasio is destroying NYC. Wealthy people don’t need to eat out. Restaurants can’t open their capacity which affects many low income workers. Too many homeless in hotels that don’t provide adequate Social and Mental Health Services.
Deblasio made a racist comment when he said that eating indoors is elitist and black people can’t eat indoors. How insulting! Millions of black people eat in restaurants. What a patronizing fool. I think he’s like to keep them dumb and down, all of us actually
I don’t get it. It’s okay to put school children back together indoors but not socially distant diners???
While I agree it’s probably time to give indoor dining a shot in the city, I don’t think 25% capacity is really going to help save many restaurants that are at the brink of closing. For many restaurants in the city, satisfying the social distancing/capacity rules could mean basically two tables inside.