Bill de Blasio suggests indoor dining won’t return to NYC until there’s a vaccine

Mayor Bill de Blasio has suggested that indoor dining won’t be allowed to return to New York City until there is a COVID-19 vaccine – even though neighboring New Jersey restaurants can seat diners inside this week. 

De Blasio signaled on Monday that indoor dining may still be months away from returning despite NYC recording a 0.59 percent COVID-19 infection rate – one of the lowest rates since March. 

The dire outlook for already struggling restaurants came as reports emerged that de Blasio has delayed laying off 22,000 city workers in the hopes that the state government will provide funding.  

‘We do expect – and pray for and expect – a vaccine in the spring that will allow us to get more back to normal,’ de Blasio said.

‘But I will absolutely tell you, we’re going to keep looking for that situation where we can push down the virus enough where we would have more ability to address indoor dining.

De Blasio, who is considering whether to extend outdoor dining beyond the October 31 expiry date, went on to say that he hoped to have more information in the coming days about the return indoor dining. 

‘Is there a way where we can do something safely with indoor dining? So far we have not had that moment, honestly,’ he said. 

‘It would take a huge step forward to get to that point and that’s the truth.’ 

Andrew Rigie, of the NYC Hospitality Alliance, questioned de Blasio’s suggestion that the city hadn’t worked out how to safely allow indoor dining. 

‘With indoor dining resuming soon in New Jersey, New York City will be surrounded by indoor dining but locked out from participating at significant economic peril,’ he said.  

‘The situation is at a boiling point and our government leaders must immediately develop a plan to reopen indoor dining across the five boroughs, like what’s been provided to restaurants throughout the rest of the state. 

‘Otherwise, our city’s economic crisis will reach a point it cannot come back from, with thousands of more restaurants permanently closing and likely more lawsuits filed against the government. 

‘The rest of New York State has been operating for months now at 50 percent reduced indoor occupancy using the same requirements that NYC was going to use starting July 6, until it was put on hold indefinitely.’   

It comes as New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy said that restaurants will be allowed to reopen for indoor dining on Friday.  

The number of diners must be limited to 25 percent of the restaurant’s capacity and tables must be spaced in accordance with social-distancing rules.

Masks will have to be worn except when eating or drinking.  

The announcement comes five months after the state shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic. 

Like neighboring New York City, restaurants and bars have only been allowed to offer outdoor seating after they could reopen in June.  

Indoor dining has been prohibited in both New Jersey and New York since the coronavirus pandemic erupted in March. 

Restaurants outside of NYC in other parts of the state have already been allowed to welcome back indoor diners.   

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo on Monday acknowledged the ‘competitive disadvantage’ New York City restaurants were going to face given New Jersey’s loosened restrictions. 

Meanwhile, de Blasio is delaying potential layoffs for 22,000 city workers in the hope that the state government will provide funding. 

Those city workers were expected to be notified on Monday if they would still have jobs come October 1 after de Blasio announced the potential layoffs in June.