New York Governor Andrew Cuomo (D) admitted today that there are no plans, nor negotiations, to allow New York City’s restaurants to reopen. Restaurants in the country’s biggest city have been closed for months due to Covid19.
“If we now open restaurants, that is going to complicate by the hundreds, if not thousands, the number of establishments that have to be monitored,” Cuomo said. “How is that gonna happen? I don’t have any more state resources to do it.”
New York City Council Speaker Corey Johnson released a statement on Wednesday saying “it’s time” for New York City to allow indoor dining, citing New York’s neighbor New Jersey’s decision to do so.
After months of surviving with outdoor dining, takeout and delivery, city restaurant owners say the coming colder weather months could prove fatal for their businesses if action is not taken. While restauranteurs have blamed Mayor Bill de Blasio for slow-walking plans to reopen dining rooms, Cuomo said any decision would need to be made by the state government.
“That’s not a decision that’s going to be made by New York City,” Cuomo said today. “They have no legal authority to make that decision. The state will make that decision, I happen to agree with the speaker. I’d like to see the restaurants open.”
Photo by New York State’s MTA