In major setback for NY's economy, Gov. Andrew Cuomo shutters indoor dining amid COVID-19 spike

New York City's indoor dining will be shut down, according to a Friday report from The Hill.

What are the details?

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) announced Friday that the new regulations are in an attempt to stem the tide of rising COVID-19 cases across the city and state. The ban goes into effect on Monday.

According to Cuomo, restaurants will still be permitted to utilize outdoor dining and offer both takeout and delivery options to customers.

The outlet reported that indoor dining resumed at just 25% capacity in late September in New York City.

"In New York City, you put the CDC caution on indoor dining together with the rate of transmission and the density, and the crowding," he said. "That is a bad situation."

The Hill reported that the state's contact tracing data of 46,000 confirmed cases between the months of September and November show that small gatherings have driven at least 74% of all infections. Infections attributed to restaurants and bars, however, accounted for just 1.4% of all infections between those months.

"It's not forever," Cuomo promised. "We have to get through this period, and the faster we can get through this period, all businesses can open again."

Cuomo said New York is expecting 170,000 doses of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine on Sunday or Monday after it receives emergency approval, The Hill reported. And the highly anticipated vaccine from Moderna could get the green light next week, and Cuomo said the state expects 346,000 doses of that vaccine the week of Dec. 21.

According to the New York Post, Cuomo said that there will be "economic hardship."

"The 25 percent to 0 percent [capacity], but we have compensated in other ways," he reasoned. "The restaurants have adapted and New Yorkers have really adapted. ... We're asking everyone to hold on. The end is in sight, but we still have to get there."

What else?

Eater on Friday reported that nearly half of New York's restaurants are in danger of closing.

A new survey by the New York State Restaurant Association has found that New York restaurants are being more adversely impacted when compared to the restaurant industry nationwide.

The survey — carried out on 6,000 restaurant operators, to include 238 restaurant operators in New York — found that 54% of New York restaurant owners say it is "likely" that they will be forced to close within the next six months if a second federal stimulus package does not come through. And 60% of restaurant owners in New York also reported that they are considering a temporary closure until the coronavirus pandemic ends.

Just 37% of restauranteurs outside of New York said they would be forced to close within six months without a federal aid package, and 36% of operators said they were considering the temporary closure, the survey said.