Cuomo announces NYC indoor dining to open Friday after backlash from Valentine's Day plan

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New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Monday that indoor dining at New York City restaurants will reopen at 25% capacity beginning this Friday, two days earlier than the previously announced date of  Feb. 14.

Cuomo acknowledged the pushback he received from restaurant owners who wanted to be able to fully prepare for Valentine's Day and take advantage of the full weekend.

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"We were planning on opening the restaurants in New York City —25% indoor dining — on Valentine's Day.," Cuomo said. "They have made the point that they'd like to open a couple of days earlier so they can be ready for Valentine's Day, get the staff oriented, get supplies into the restaurants. And that's a reasonable request, so we'll start indoor dining on Friday at 25%."

Cuomo continued, saying that due to the earlier opening, restaurant owners will "be ready for that weekend and for Valentine’s Day," which he said "should be a big restaurant day."

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New York City restaurateur Vincent Malerba, who owns two establishments in Staten Island, told Fox News' "The Faulkner Focus" last Monday that urging from city restaurant owners to allow reopening had been going "in one ear and out the other." In the meantime, would-be customers were able to go to New Jersey, where restaurants were already open for indoor dining at 50% capacity.

Starting on Valentine's Day, Feb. 14, Cuomo said that New Yorkers with comorbidities could begin making appointments online to get vaccinated at a state mass vaccination center. Appointments will be available starting on Feb. 15.

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Cuomo said that those who show up will have to provide a doctor’s letter or other medical information, or sign a certification that they have a co-morbidity. He acknowledged that "there will be fraud, there will be mistakes, there will be inefficiency," but he said the state will audit the validation system by using a federal database.