Restaurants from the Bronx to Brooklyn have been creating summer patios for diners to enjoy while eating out. For now, this is the only space where restaurants can serve customers.
This week, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio confirmed in a news conference that restaurants will not be allowed to offer indoor dining for the foreseeable future.
“We’re working with the State to postpone indoor dining as we move towards Phase 3,” he wrote on Twitter. “We’ve made too much progress fighting Covid-19 to risk going backwards.”
De Blasio spoke of his concern over the increasing number of cases in states across the country and cited growing evidence that socializing indoors in bars and restaurants can contribute to the spread.
But, he said, outdoor dining has been a “hit.”
6,600 restaurants across the five boroughs have been approved to open outdoor dining areas, taking full advantage of sidewalk space, streets, patios and plazas.
De Blasio encouraged more restaurants to apply.
“We're going to work with the Hospitality Alliance, chambers of commerce, everyone – let's get every restaurant into outdoor dining,” he said. “Let's maximize their revenue, bring back their workforce, but keep it outdoors primarily while we figure out the indoor piece.”