Bars and restaurants in New York will be able to stay open until midnight starting Monday, April 19.
The Governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo announced that it will extend the time for catered events from 11 p.m. to midnight, and from midnight to 1 a.m., respectively, a measure that also covers weddings.
#BREAKING: Effective Monday, April 19, the curfew currently in place for bars & restaurants will be moving from 11pm to midnight.
The curfew for catered events will move from midnight to 1am.
— Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) April 14, 2021
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Currently, bars and restaurants they can stay open until 11 at night.
Cuomo previously extended the curfew for New York food businesses from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. in February, citing a decline in the COVID-19 positivity rate and hospitalizations at that time.
The last extension occurs less than two weeks after New York lifted the pandemic curfew for gyms and movie theaters, but it will leave the restrictions in effect for restaurants and bars.
Following the announcement of such guidelines, dozens of local bars and restaurants had been lobbying the state to lift the curfew entirely.
Some restaurant owners claim that lifting the curfew It could be more beneficial than increasing the capacity limits in the premises.
Restaurants across New York State were hit especially hard by the pandemic, as approximately the 75% of these establishments claimed to have lost at least half of their business in 2020 due to the pandemic.
“The overtime is good news for restaurants, bars and customers, but we still need a roadmap to know when the curfew will be lifted as has happened with other sectors “explained Andrew Rigie, executive director of the NYC Hospitality Alliance, a group from the sector.
However, not everyone is favorable to the measure. Some industry trade groups and local politicians They have been protesting against the curfew for months, qualifying it as unfair and “arbitrary” restriction what It hampers your ability to earn income due to anticipation of order closing times.
Another complaint is that despite the loosening of restrictions as the reopening progresses, many restaurants claim that they it is difficult to find the necessary personnel to satisfy the new demand.
Mayor Bill De Blasio supported at the time the decision to maintain the curfew in food businesses, as did the city’s health commissioner, Dr. Dave Chokshi.
“I think it’s fair to say that there are a variety of situations in which people are not as aware,” de Blasio said at a press conference on April 5.
Cuomo announced Wednesday that he does not have a set deadline for the state’s full reopening as it depends on the state’s COVID-19 rate.
Hospitalizations for the virus in New York have fallen dramatically since the peak of more than 9,000 people that occurred in January, but they continue to exceed 4,000.
About a quarter of residents have been fully vaccinated, according to state data.
In nearby New Jersey, food businesses have been operating past 10 p.m. since February, when Gov. Phil Murphy lifted the state’s curfew indefinitely.
Connecticut lifted some of its pandemic restrictions in March, but kept the 11 p.m. curfew for restaurants and bars. (With information from Eater NY)
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