‘Trying To Stay Afloat’: New York City Hospitality Groups Speak Out Against Cuomo’s COVID Restrictions

Multiple New York City restaurant groups spoke out Thursday against Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s recent string of coronavirus regulations, according to Fox Business.

Cuomo announced in a tweet Wednesday that bars and restaurants which hold liquor licenses would be ordered to close at 10 p.m.. Gyms would also be subject to the 10 p.m. closure mandate, which takes effect Friday, the Democratic governor wrote.

NYS is taking action to stop the spread in response to rising COVID numbers.

Any establishment with a state liquor license, including bars and restaurants, must close at 10pm.

Gyms must also close at 10pm.

These new statewide rules will take effect Friday, 10pm.

— Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) November 11, 2020

New York State Restaurant Association CEO and president Melissa Fleischut said Cuomo’s hospitality restrictions were a “huge blow to” a “restaurant industry that is desperately trying to stay afloat,” according to Fox.

“Our members have put in place procedures and protocols to mitigate the spread, and we’ll continue to do so to ensure the safety of our employees and patrons,” Fleischut told Fox. “We understand the logic behind micro-cluster restrictions, but at this time we have concerns about blanket statewide restrictions like this.”

Executive director of the New York City Hospitality Alliance Andrew Rigie also criticized the governor’s recent measure. The restaurant advocate said Cuomo’s closures could result in the job loss of “tens of thousands of New Yorkers.”

“These new restrictions should be publicly justified with contact tracing data because they will make it even more difficult for these small businesses to survive,” Rigie told Fox. “We demand that our elected leaders provide financial support to our city’s restaurants and bars before they permanently shutter and put tens of thousands of New Yorkers out of work.”

Previously, the governor’s office announced that indoor dining could resume at 25% capacity starting on Sept. 30, according to a press release. The move followed a struggle for New York City restaurants that resulted in 50% of eateries facing closure in 6 months or less, according to Fox.

COVID-19 have begun to surge after a 4-month lull, according to a map posted by the New York Department of Health. Approximately 4,800 people tested positive in the state Tuesday, which was the highest number of daily new cases since late April, the map showed.