Gov. Cuomo suspends indoor dining in New York City, is backed by Mayor de Blasio

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New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Friday announced that indoor dining would be shut down again in New York City, even as the state released contract-tracing data which showed bars and restaurants accounted for just 1.43% of COVID-19 cases in the three months ending in November.

“Indoor dining will close in New York City starting Monday,” Cuomo announced, citing an increase in COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations.

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“Hospitalizations have not stabilized, and with a rising infection rate and NYC’s density, this means that indoor dining is too high of a risk,” he said. “Takeout, delivery and outdoor dining will continue.”

Cuomo released a detailed breakdown of sources of COVID-19 exposure during a press briefing on Friday. The contact-tracing data was derived from a statewide analysis of 46,000 COVID-19 cases from September through November.

Private household and social gatherings were responsible for 73.84% of the cases statewide, while health care delivery accounted for 7.81% of cases and higher education accounted for slight more than 2%. Just 1.43% of cases were traced to bars and restaurants.

Cuomo said he opted to shutter indoor dining despite the relatively low proportion of cases because it was an area where officials “can actually make a difference” in reducing COVID-19’s spread. But the decision drew immediate criticism from NYC restaurant groups, who have warned for months that Cuomo’s restrictions would cripple the industry.

“While public health and safety must be paramount, Governor Cuomo’s announcement to once again shut down indoor dining in New York City is at odds with the State’s own data that’s been presented as driving these decisions, and it will be the last straw for countless more restaurants and jobs,” the NYC Hospitality Alliance said in a statement.

New York City was one of the hardest-hit areas of the country by the virus, and saw strict lockdowns that shuttered businesses, schools and restaurants. But in recent months the city has been taking baby-step attempts at reopening, with limited indoor dining and a few days of in-person schooling a week at some of the city's public schools.

New York City restaurants, which make up a key pillar of the city's economy, were permitted to resume indoor dining at 25% capacity on Sept. 30 after months of being shut down, while schools have partially reopened this week after being shut down at the end of November.

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While outdoor dining may offer some respite for struggling restaurants to bring in diners, with many building elaborate heated tents outside their venues on busy sidewalks, plunging winter temperatures will make that an uninviting proposition for many.

Ahead of the announcement, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio told reporters he would support such a restriction, noting the increase in hospitalizations and declaring that the city was in a second wave.

He said that 205 patients were admitted to hospital on Thursday, above the 200 threshold — leading to a 2.8 per 100,000 hospitalization rate. The positive test rate for the city is 5.35%.

“If the governor announces restrictions, I support him 100% because we have to protect against the worst — the worst is the virus just grows and grows, that more and more people get infected, our hospitals start to get stressed and then get to the point where they can't provide the service that people need and that puts lives in danger,” Hizzoner said.

“I guarantee you, if that keeps happening then it's going to be a lot longer time before we're able to recover economically,” he said. “That puts those restaurants in much greater danger for the long term."

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After Cuomo made the announcement, de Blasio admitted that the decision was "painful" but stood by his fellow Democrat.

"I fully support @NYGovCuomo's decision. Together we'll fight back this second wave," he tweeted.

Fox News' Ben Evansky and Daniella Genovese contributed to this report.