Restaurants in New York City can broaden indoor dining to 75 percent capacity starting on May 7, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo stated Friday, an growth already obtainable to eating places in the remainder of the state.
The governor additionally stated the metropolis’s gyms and health facilities would expand to 50 percent capacity starting May 15. Hair salons, barber outlets and different private care companies can transfer to to 75 percent capacity on May 7, he stated.
The expansions will successfully apply to the complete metropolis as a result of Mr. Cuomo additionally introduced that he was rescinding his “micro-cluster zone strategy.” That set of restrictions have been divided into three color-coded zones — purple, orange and yellow — every with completely different guidelines for gatherings, faculties and companies for particular neighborhoods or boroughs, in New York City. Zones in the remainder of the state had been lifted earlier this yr.
The governor’s announcement got here a day after Mayor Bill de Blasio declared that New York City would fully reopen on July 1, after greater than a yr of virus-related restrictions imposed by the governor.
Still, they’ve acknowledged that the virus will doubtless stay a risk, a minimum of to some extent.
At a White House information convention on Friday, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, referred to as the mayor’s July 1 date “a reasonable target” if the present tempo of vaccinations and declines in case numbers continued. She declined to predict updates to the C.D.C.’s steering that those dining indoors should wear masks except when actively eating or drinking, noting that “this virus has tricked us before.”
At a information convention on Thursday, Mr. Cuomo scoffed at Mr. de Blasio’s remark about the metropolis reopening by July 1, emphasizing that the state was in cost. He stated that he was “reluctant to make projections” on a reopening date, saying that doing so could be “irresponsible.”
Even so, the governor, who has moved recently to roll back restrictions, stated that he too was hopeful {that a} wider reopening was nearby, probably prior to Mr. de Blasio’s aim.
“I think that if we do what we have to do, we can be reopened earlier,” Mr. Cuomo stated.
Earlier this week, the governor stated that the longstanding curfew requiring institutions to cease serving clients at midnight will end statewide on May 17 for outside dining areas and May 31 for indoor dining.
Andrew Rigie, the govt director of the New York City Hospitality Alliance, stated in a press release on Friday that easing restrictions on eating places and bars “provides a shot of optimism to small business owners and workers who have been financially devastated over the past year.”
“We look forward to working with Governor Cuomo’s administration to safely reopen New York City, so we can get the restaurant capital of the world cooking again,” he stated.
Michael Gold contributed reporting.
