- Steve Bittenbender | The Center Square contributor/May 3rd, 2021
(The Center Square) – New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Monday announced the most significant easing of COVID-restrictions since the pandemic began.
The move to reopen more of New York’s economy came as part of a joint initiative with neighboring states New Jersey and Connecticut, which takes effect May 19.
On that date, New York will transition from a crowd cap based on a percentage of capacity to just a strict social distancing guideline. In short, that means most businesses – including food and entertainment venues – will be able to accommodate as many people as they can as long as parties remain six feet apart.
There are exceptions to the new rules, which Cuomo explained during a news conference. For one, restaurants can get by the six-foot rule if they put barriers between tables or dining stations.
“Also… if you have an operating plan for vaccinated people, then you can operate at less than six feet [of social distancing],” the governor added.
The changes come as the number of new vaccinations have fallen in recent weeks, so Cuomo was offering the guidance as incentives to increase vaccinations.
According to information from Johns Hopkins University of Medicine, the state administered 355,801 doses on April 4. It has not topped 300,000 doses in a day since then. In all, about 16.1 million doses have been administered in New York, with 6.4 million people fully vaccinated.
Cuomo’s announcement wasn’t embraced warmly by everyone in the hospitality community, whose members will likely have to invest more money under the plan if they want to operate at or near full capacity.
In a tweet, Andrew Rigie, executive director for the New York City Hospitality Alliance, said getting to 100% would require a lot of plexiglass, provided restaurants could even get it.
“CDC needs to lift/modify social distancing requirements because there’s not enough plexiglass for restaurants and bars to place partitions in-between all the tables for them to operate at 100%,” he added. “And, does this mean clubs can re-open if we dance in-between plexiglass?”
In addition to easing restrictions for businesses, Cuomo also announced that New York City’s subways would resume around-the-clock service on May 17. The subway has been closed between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m. daily for cleaning.
When it reopens, it’ll be the first time in a more than a year that the subway has operated on a 24-hour basis.
“This expansion will help working people, businesses and families get back to normal as the city reopens and reimagines itself for a new future,” Cuomo said in a statement from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
Also from the Roosevelt Island Daily
Waiting for the Light, New York City Summer, Fine Art Photography Print
© Deborah Julian. All rights reserved.
The State Distributed $0 in Rent Relief in Program’s First Month
Allison Dikanovic, THE CITY This article was originally publishedon Jul 13 at 8:07pm EDTby THE CITY This article is adapted from our Rent Update newsletter. You can sign up here to get it or fill out the form at the bottom of this post. New York was one of the last states in the country to launch…
Keep reading
The CBN/RI Senior Center: Activities and Menus – June, 2022
The CBN/RI Senior Center at 546 Main Street offers a robust calendar of events along with weekday lunches as social as they are nutritious. Here’s what the Carter Burden Network has for Roosevelt Island seniors in June. We will update as new information arrives. Also from the Roosevelt Island Daily
Keep reading
Subway Trips Canceled Over Staff Shortages Soar to a Pandemic High
Jose Martinez, THE CITY This article was originally publishedon Jul 5 at 8:27pm EDTby THE CITY Straphangers suffered through more than 10,600 canceled subway trips in June due to a shortage of train crews, according to internal MTA records obtained by THE CITY. New York City Transit hadn’t scrapped that many trips in a month…
Keep reading
New York lags rest of the country in job growth
Steve Bittenbender | The Center Square contributor/June 18th, 2021 (The Center Square) – Jobs data released Thursday shows New York gained private-sector jobs in May but not at the same rate as the rest of the country. The New York State Department of Labor said the number of jobs grew by 17,500, or 0.2%, last…
Keep reading
Hey, New York! You earned it. COVID restrictions blow away with fireworks tonight
As Governor Andrew Cuomo promised, most COVID restrictions blow away today after New Yorker hit the 70% adult vaccination rate. Worth fireworks? You got ’em. The launched across the state, last night. By David Stone The Roosevelt Island Daily News COVID Restrictions Blown Away Restrictions fell away on capacity, social distancing, cleaning and disinfection, health…
Keep reading
Mayor de Blasio: Celebrate New York City’s Hometown Heroes with a Ticker Tape Parade
Mayor Bill de Blasio yesterday announced Hometown Heroes, a ticker tape parade celebrating the Summer of New York City, thanking essential workers who uplifted New Yorkers through the COVID-19 pandemic. By David Stone The Roosevelt Island Daily News The parade takes place at 11:00 A.M. on July 7, 2021. It begins near Battery Park and…
Keep readingLoading…
Something went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.
About Author
