Indoor Dining Is About to Be Banned Again in This Major City

The U.S. is currently facing an all-time high of coronavirus cases, with 1.37 million new cases popping up last week. In an effort to stop the spread, the governor of the former epicenter of the pandemic is prepared to issue new restrictions on restaurants.

Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo warned New Yorkers on Monday that he would ban indoor dining once again if the city’s hospitalization rate failed to “stabilize in the next five days.” According to state data, 1,375 COVID-19 patients were hospitalized in the city as of Saturday—up 305 patients from the previous Saturday, Nov. 28.

While Cuomo didn’t confirm if he would ban indoor dining, he did say the current hospitalization rate indicated a shutdown order could come as early as this Saturday. Restaurants would have until the following Monday to comply with any new restrictions. (Related: The Saddest Restaurant Closures In Your State.)

Cuomo had earlier warned that indoor dining in New York City would be suspended if the numbers “showed a seven-day positivity rate of 3% or higher for 10 consecutive days,” according to Eater. However, the city’s current positivity rate is currently sitting at 4%. Restricting indoor dining would be one measure to stop hospitals from being overwhelmed, but will it be enough to mitigate the spread of COVID-19?

As temperatures drop, more and more people are inevitably beginning to gather indoors. And with more holiday festivities on the horizon, the likelihood of another spike in cases increases further. In the absence of federal aid, restaurant owners and hospitality industry experts fear that temporary closures will quickly turn into permanent ones.

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