ALBANY – New York is rolling out several new restrictions aimed at limiting the spread of COVID-19 in the state.
Effective Friday at 10 p.m., bars, restaurants and gyms or fitness centers, as well as any State Liquor Authority-licensed establishment, will be required to close from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. daily.
Governor Andrew Cuomo says restaurants will still be allowed to provide curbside, food-only pick-up or delivery after 10 p.m., but will not be permitted to serve alcohol to go.
The State Liquor Authority will issue further guidance for licensees as to what sales are continued to be permitted.
The Governor also announced that indoor and outdoor gatherings at private residences will be limited to no more than 10 people.
“If you look at where the cases are coming from, if you do the contact tracing, you’ll see they’re coming from three main areas: establishments where alcohol is served, gyms, and indoor gatherings at private homes,” Cuomo said in a statement. “The reason we have been successful in reducing the spread in New York is we have been a step ahead of COVID. You know where it’s going; stop it before it gets there. And you know where it’s going by following the science. This is the calibration that we’ve talked about: increase economic activity, watch the positivity rate – if the positivity rate starts to go up, back off on the economic activity. It was never binary — economic activity or public health — it was always both.”
The limit will be implemented due to the recent prevalence of COVID-19 spread resulting from small indoor gatherings including Halloween parties.
He says these gatherings have become a major cause of cluster activity across the state.
“The rules are only as good as the enforcement. Local governments are in charge of enforcement.” said Cuomo. “There are only two fundamental truths in this situation: it’s individual discipline and it’s government enforcement. Period. End of sentence. I need the local governments to enforce this.”
Furthermore, this public health measure brings New York State in line with neighboring states including Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island. This new rule is also effective Friday at 10 p.m., Cuomo says.
Could the rise in Covid cases be do to the mass celebrations for the election?… another “super spreader event”
I seen a lot of people gathering, NOT social distancing… even Chuck Schumer took off his mask
I love how our constitution has been tossed right out the window and Dictator Cuomo thinks he is god. If any politician belongs in jail its you Mr. Cuomo.
Mr Cuomo, you have 2 yrs left in office, hopefully (NYS) See’s the damage you’ve done and the dumbocrats don’t re- elect you, please don’t kill or put anymore people out of business you jacktard dictator