Governor Andrew Cuomo addressed reporters this morning about the new wave of restrictions to fight the spread of coronavirus and encourage people to stay isolated after a weekend in which many New Yorkers displayed a cavalier attitude about the virus. Cuomo, along side NJ Gov. Phil Murphy and Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont, said that all casinos, gyms, theaters, restaurants and bars will close as of 8 p.m. tonight. (On Sunday night Mayor Bill de Blasio had given establishments until Tuesday morning, but at this morning's press conference Cuomo said his executive order overrules the mayor's.)
Cuomo added that as part of the take-out and delivery-only rule, restaurants and bars will also be allowed to sell alcohol to-go. He noted that this is not a permanent change and would only be in effect for the duration of the mandatory closures.
"Whatever you could order [in] the bar or restaurant or distillery or winery you can purchase through takeout," Cuomo said during the press conference. "We hope that goes a long way toward alleviating any economic hardship." He added that the State Liquor Authority will change their rules to allow takeout alcohol sales from bars, wineries, restaurants, and distilleries—more details about that new rules will come later today.
Cuomo also reiterated that gatherings of 50 or more people around the state are being restricted. And while a full lockdown of non-essential businesses has not occurred yet, he strongly advised that only grocery stores, gas stations, pharmacies, and medical facilities should be staying open in the coming days.
If you're thinking about ordering takeout, the thread below has some good tips to consider, including: tip really well (especially if you start ordering alcohol), practice social distancing if possible (you can ask delivery people to leave it at your door or lobby), and be extra considerate and patient with delivery workers.
Here is a perfect example of what no restaurant or bar should be doing at this moment:
Hundreds of thousands of workers will lose wages, and owners may lose their businesses due to closures related to COVID-19. According to the Department of Labor, 315,200 people worked in New York City's food service industry as of 2018. Right now, the de Blasio administration has set up a zero-interest loan program, along with grants for businesses with less than five employees. The mayor has said he is speaking with his federal counterparts to get more substantive relief.
Recode reports that in NYC, patronage at restaurants is down 64 percent on Saturday, March 14th, compared with the same night a year earlier.
In the last week, some restaurants had already announced they were voluntarily closing, as had many movie theaters and other businesses. Broadway theaters and other larger venues were closed outright last week.
As of Monday morning, Cuomo said that there have now been 950 total cases of coronavirus in the state, with 463 in NYC; that's up from 329 cases on Sunday night. The numbers are expected to continue going up swiftly because New York hasn't had access to much testing until recently.
[Update, 6 p.m.] Here's how cops have been instructed to enforce the restaurant and bar bans:
