Soaring Hospitalization Rate Could Shut Down NYC Restaurants

NEW YORK CITY — Indoor dining in New York City could face a last call as soon as next week, Gov. Andrew Cuomo warned Monday.

Cuomo said restaurants and bars will have to close their doors to diners if the city's coronavirus hospitalization rate doesn't stabilize within five days.

He said eateries will get a warning beforehand but the shutdown could come early next week.

"Monday, if the rate doesn't stabilize," he said.

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

The clampdown warning follows new CDC guidance on indoor dining issued last week.

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Cuomo said the state will follow the guidance and tie shutdowns to hospitalizations — an issue of increasing concern for health officials as the virus continues to surge across the state.

Other regions across the state will have indoor dining reduced from current 50 percent capacity levels to 25 percent if hospitalizations don't stabilize in five days.

New York City will be under a more strict rule.

"Five days if the hospitalization rate doesn't stabilize in New York City, we're going to close indoor dining," Cuomo said. "We're now at 25 percent capacity."

Cuomo also warned the large-scale NY PAUSE shutdown could return by region if seven-day hospitalization growth rates indicate that hospitals are on track to hit critical capacity — or 90 percent — within three weeks.

He also ordered hospitals statewide to increase bed capacity by 25 percent.

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