New York restaurants face new coronavirus restrictions, penalties

Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) announced Thursday new coronavirus restrictions and penalties for New York City restaurants that fail to comply with public health orders. 

The governor told reporters in a conference call that the city’s restaurants found not to be enforcing social distancing will receive three strikes before the state shuts down the restaurant. 

“There is significant evidence of failure to comply,” Cuomo said, according to news outlets. “It’s wrong, it’s dangerous, it’s selfish, it’s unacceptable. It’s also illegal.” 

He also warned that “egregious” violators could be ordered to immediately close and surrender their liquor license, CNBC reported. The names of businesses “facing disciplinary charges” will also be published, he said. 

Meanwhile, all bars and restaurants in the state will only be permitted to serve alcohol to those who also order food. Walk-up bar service is prohibited, Reuters reported. 

New York City could enter the fourth phase of reopening soon, which allows malls and cultural institutions to reopen, but not their inside operations. An announcement on whether it will enter the phase will be announced Friday afternoon, the governor said. 

While Cuomo acknowledged the state is in a “much, much better place,” according to Bloomberg News, New York is bracing for a second wave of the virus as other parts of the country are struggling to rein in the pandemic. 

New York, Connecticut and New Jersey have imposed a 14-day mandatory quarantine for visitors from 22 states where cases are rising. Cuomo said New York has seen 92 percent compliance with people filling out paperwork, but it’s unclear how many are following the quarantine.

New York City, one of America’s first epicenter for the pandemic, has confirmed a total of 217,230 cases and 18,754 confirmed deaths during the pandemic, according to city data.

The state as a whole has seen its number of new coronavirus cases steady since mid-June, with currently a seven-day average of 727 new COVID-19 cases per day, The New York Times reported. New York has counted 404,775 cases and 25,014 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic.