New York City has the second lowest COVID test positivity rate anywhere in New York State and Manhattan has the lowest rate among the five districts, but restaurants remain closed and Cuomo warns of a total closure in January that would paralyze even more companies.
The statewide COVID test positivity rate is 5.1%, but varies greatly from 8.1% in the Finger Lakes to 4% in New York. The Manhattan rate is 2.77 percent, but Staten Island’s is 5.1 percent and the Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens are in the middle.
Despite the huge variations, the covered dinner in New York was banned on Monday. A huge snowstorm on Wednesday has also put an end to outdoor dining. Restaurant owners say it’s the ultimate key to the city’s coffin. Indoor food was banned from March 16 to September 30, for a total of 28 weeks.
Outdoor dining was only allowed to start in the middle of summer, on June 22, but with strict rules.
Only 0.02 percent of all people in hospitals with COVID across the state are in New York, but it has the toughest restrictions in the state
The statewide COVID test positivity rate is 5.1%, but varies greatly from 8.1% in the Finger Lakes to 4% in New York. Manhattan’s rate is 2.77 percent, but Staten Island’s is 5.1 percent and the Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens are in the middle.
The New York City restaurant and bar industry accounted for 325,000 jobs by March. That number dropped to 90,000 when indoor and outdoor restaurants were closed.
Since they reopened, some 100,000 people have been hired again, but the state’s decision last week to end the indoor dining room now for at least two weeks, and close the outdoor dining room on Wednesday due to an approaching snowstorm has forced many to shut up completely.
Many restaurant owners say they can no longer afford to pay for things during the holiday season just to take away and deliver.
Governor Cuomo even admitted Wednesday that New York City had one of the less serious problems.
“New York is actually one of the lowest percentages,” he said.
He went on to point out that in New York City, the problem varies even more.
“Within New York City, look at these variants. Staten Island is higher than Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx, there’s no reason.
Photos of Tuesday’s Times Square protest where dozens protested against the governor’s decision
Dozens gathered in Times Square on Tuesday to protest the governor’s decision
Among those protesting the governor’s decision are some of New York City’s royal housewives.
“It’s not so crowded, nor so dense. There’s no reason for that.”
On Tuesday, crowds gathered in Times Square to protest its ban on covered food.
Last week, after making the decision for the first time, restaurant owners told DailyMail.com how it would leave them out of business.
Robert Mahon, owner of a group of restaurants, including Toro Loco and Broadstone, called it a “misfortune.”
“There is no scientific data in this decision making,” he said.
He asked why Albany, where the infection rate is above 7%, can continue to have indoor meals when Manhattan, where it is below 3%, cannot.
Ash Deshmukh of Short Stories told DailyMail.com after Cuomo’s announcement on Friday: “We can’t survive outdoors and go out alone.
The cover of New York Magazine on December 4 is dedicated to the hundreds of companies (many of them restaurants) that have had to close
“This will mean a 70% success in the revenue that was just beginning to be generated.
“We have no relief from fixed costs and now we have no chance of earning to pay for them.”
He said they were equally concerned about the increase in COVID cases, both for the sake of staff safety and customer safety, but that the decision put the industry “in the wrong place”.
Eddie Fraunces, owner of Fraunces Tavern and Lovelace Gin and Cocktail bar, said he will now have to lay off half of his remaining staff as a result of the decision.
“For us, we have made an adjustment to connect to the Internet and sell goods.
“We will try to stay as open as possible, but we will have to lay off 50% of our staff.
I was postponing it until after Christmas.
“In March, we had more than two restaurants, 100 employees. We now have 45. That will go down to about 20,” he said.
It was echoed that the decision made no sense given Manhattan’s low rates.
‘The reason they gave at the beginning was that it was called population density, but if it were so, our infection rate would be much higher.
In Manhattan it is 2.3 percent, but in Long Island and Westchester it is higher, but are they allowed to continue with a capacity of 25 percent? It makes no sense.
“All the restaurants we wanted to do were fight to the vaccine and we would have survived, but now at least it will have to close 50%, especially without any PPP coming in. I know a lot of my friends say that’s the key to the coffin.
“If we received PPPs from the federal government, I wouldn’t have to go to my staff today and fire them.
‘We could keep them going until we overcome the pandemic. But that will be crazy. The number of people applying for unemployment today … will be huge, “he said.
He added that he felt a responsibility to tell staff they had lost their jobs instead of dragging them because unemployment checks took a long time to come out in April.