With record numbers of new cases of Covid-19 being reported around the country and infection rates in New York and neighboring states on the increase, new restrictions on businesses and individuals in New York state will be put into effect on Friday, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced during a conference call in which the Business Journal participated this afternoon.
Cuomo, who likened the shutdown of businesses in New York and the slow economic reopening to turning a valve, said that he is now making an incremental closure of that valve.
“If these measures are not sufficient to reduce the spread, we will turn the valve more and part of that would be reducing the number of people in indoor dining,” Cuomo said. “If these numbers keep going crazy, you have some scientists who believe we”™re going to go back to a close down. I”™m just praying that doesn”™t happen.”
Cuomo announced that effective Friday, any business in New York state that holds a license from the State Liquor Authority must close no later than 10 p.m. This includes bars and restaurants. Restaurants would be allowed to continue to offer takeout food service with curbside pickup after 10 p.m. He said businesses such as bowling alleys or entertainment venues that hold SLA licenses also would be affected.
Gyms are being required to close at 10 p.m. under the new restrictions.
Cuomo said that the number of people who can gather in private homes for parties will be limited to the number of family members who live in the residence or 10 individuals, whichever is greater.
Cuomo said that if the infection rates don”™t start coming down again there would be further restrictions on businesses.
He also announced that Port Chester is being classified as an orange warning zone, meaning the seven-day rolling average positive testing rate for the virus has been above 3%. He noted that the village borders Connecticut, which is seeing an increase in cases with about 6.7% of Connecticut residents who are being tested turning out to be positive for the disease as of Nov. 10.
Cuomo said it will be up to local governments to enforce the new restrictions just as they”™ve been relied upon in the past for enforcement.
“There are only two fundamental truths in this situation. It”™s individual discipline and it”™s government enforcement. Period. End of sentence,” Cuomo said. “We went through this once before with bars and restaurants. There was widespread lack of compliance. Local governments — some did a good job, some did not. We then had to put together a state task force to do the enforcement. This is statewide. I do not have the resources to do it.”
Cuomo said that the situation nationwide is getting much worse by the day.
“You look at the states surrounding New York on the theory that we”™re only a ship on the Covid tide; you have New Jersey which is about a 5% infection rate, you have Connecticut which is about a 7% infection rate, you have Pennsylvania which is about a 15% infection rate. If you look at the places in our state where we are having issues, they”™re very often near the neighboring states,” Cuomo said. “If the national numbers are going up and the states around you are going up, be prepared.”
