Andrew M. Cuomo announced on Wednesday that the prohibition on indoor dining in New York City would be lifted on Sept. 30, giving a boost to the city’s recovery from the pandemic and ending its status as one of the few places in the nation with a ban. The governor’s decision to allow restaurants to have indoor dining at 25 percent capacity will be a major milestone in the coronavirus crisis in New York City, signaling to tourists and residents that the city is slowly returning to normal. Still, the reopening will likely not be enough to save some restaurants, battered by the combination of the coronavirus, the economic crisis and the reluctance of many Americans to socialize in proximity to others, particularly as colder weather limits outdoor dining. The move came more than two months after the governor and Mayor Bill de Blasio halted a plan to permit indoor dining at restaurants, citing worries about a resurgence of the coronavirus, which has killed more than 30,000 people in New York State. Even so, the reopening announcement left some concerns still percolating at City Hall, as Mr. de Blasio had favored a longer lag between a planned reopening of schools and the city’s indoor dining.

Source: New York Times September 09, 2020 17:13 UTC