Politician Calls For End To 10 P.M. Curfew In Time For Super Bowl

LONG ISLAND, NY — A local politician is calling for Gov. Andrew Cuomo to lift the 10 p.m. curfew for restaurants, in time for the Super Bowl.

Normally during football season, local bars and restaurants are filled with patrons looking to watch the game while enjoying some food or drinks.

However, during the pandemic, restaurants and bars are mandated to make sure there are no customers inside by 10 p.m. Pick-ups can continue after that time, but there cannot be patrons indoors.

Cuomo issued the directive in November amid the rise in coronavirus cases. He stated that contact tracers identified bars and restaurants, indoor gatherings and gyms as helping drive the virus's growth.

On Wednesday, Cuomo announced that Long Island had the highest positivity in the state at 6.92 percent, while statewide the positivity rate remained at 5.47 percent.

However, Jarett Gandolfo (R), the freshman representative who recently took over the seat left open in New York's 7th assembly district, called the restriction "arbitrary" and "unnecessary." He stated that he spoke to local restaurant owners in the district, who told him the curfew is "slowly killing their businesses."

"It especially hurts during the football playoff season, which can be one of the most profitable periods for the food service industry," he told Patch."...restaurants have proven that they can provide a safe atmosphere for customers, and the numbers back that up. Contract tracing data shows that bars and restaurants account for just 1.4 percent of the virus’ spread. Meanwhile, private household gatherings account for a whopping 74 percent."

He also stated that the curfew would mean people are more likely to attend "riskier" household gatherings in order to watch the big game.

"Removing this restriction will not only help our small businesses, but also help prevent the spread of COVID," he said.

In response, a spokesperson from Cuomo's office released the following statement:

We understand bars and restaurants are hard-hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, and we’ve been moving heaven and earth to help them weather this crisis — from securing $100 million from the private sector for low-interest loans, to launching a restaurant recovery grant fund, to cutting red tape so they can sell cocktails via delivery and immediately expand their outdoor dining footprints. The fact remains that the CDC and New York State data show indoor dining is a particularly high-risk activity, and reducing operating hours is a commonsense way to reduce the risk of spreading COVID.