New York restaurants and bars that hold liquor licenses will have to abide by a new nightly curfew, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced today, as the state and region grapples with a growing uptick in COVID-19 cases.
Restaurants and bars across the state have been ordered to close indoor and outdoor dining nightly at 10 p.m. starting on Friday, according to the governor’s office. Takeout and delivery is still allowed after 10 p.m., but only for food orders. Takeout and delivery alcohol orders after 10 p.m. will be off limits, according to the governor’s latest guidelines. Previously, restaurants in NYC were mandated to close outdoor dining at 11 p.m. and indoor dining at 12 a.m.
Cuomo called on local governments to take on a bigger role in terms of enforcement, and particularly called on the NYPD to lead the enforcement effort in NYC, saying that the sheriff’s office alone would not be able to carry out the work.
The move comes in response to rises in COVID-19 cases and ensuing curfews that have been put in place in neighboring states, Cuomo said during a press conference announcing the new regulation. “We don’t want people from surrounding states closing at 10 p.m. coming here,” Cuomo said.
New Jersey instituted a 10 p.m. curfew for indoor dining at restaurants and bars that goes into effect on November 12, while Connecticut restaurants and bars have been operating under a 10 p.m. curfew for everything except takeout and delivery since November 5. Massachusetts underwent a stay-at-home advisory starting on November 6, and restaurants and bars in the state are currently restricted to takeout and delivery — for food only — after 9:30 p.m. each night.
The number of reported COVID-19 cases continues to surge in the United States. In New York, the daily COVID-19 positivity rate was 2.9 percent as of Wednesday, including the city and state’s zoned shutdown areas. Parts of Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island have additional restrictions in place, as the state has identified those areas to be part of micro-clusters.
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