NY Restaurants Will Shut Down If Hospitalizations Don't Stabilize

NEW YORK, NY — Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Monday said New York restaurants and bars will have to reduce capacity to 25 percent if the coronavirus hospitalization rate doesn’t stabilize within five days, and those in New York City will have to close their doors entirely.

The state will also reenact the NY PAUSE shutdown by region should the seven-day hospitalization growth rate indicate that hospitals in that region are on track to hit critical capacity — or 90 percent — within three weeks. Furthermore, Cuomo ordered hospitals statewide to increase bed capacity by 25 percent.

"You cannot overwhelm your hospitals," Cuomo said. "We can't be Italy."

He added: "If you are at a rate that will overwhelm your hospitals you must shut down."

NEW: If after 5 days a region's hospital rate has not stabilized, indoor dining will close or be reduced.

-In NYC, indoor dining would close entirely.

-In rest of the state, indoor dining would be reduced to 25% capacity.
— Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) December 7, 2020

Cuomo said the state would have to see a stabilization in hospitalizations to ease indoor dining restrictions, noting he does not expect that will happen. Other businesses such as nail salons and gyms would remain open.

Restaurants and bars would receive at least a couple of days notice to prepare if another shutdown is enacted.

The state is again asking retired doctors and nurses to return to service to help bolster hospital staff. Cuomo said he believes about 20,000 retirees will volunteer.

Coronavirus In New York

Statewide positive test rate without micro-clusters: 4.27 percent

Statewide positive test rate with micro-clusters: 4.79 percent

Positive test rate in micro-clusters: 6.57 percent

Statewide deaths: 80

Statewide hospitalizations: 4,602 (+160)

Statewide intensive care unit: 872 (+22)

Statewide intubations: 477 (+13)