Coronavirus In NYC: Businesses Face Potential Setbacks As Mayor De Blasio Tells City To Prepare For Second Wave Shutdown
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- First he closed the schools and now Mayor Bill de Blasio says he expects further restrictions to hit the city by the first week in December.
Indoor dining, gyms and lots of other small businesses would have to close until the coronavirus infection rate dies down, CBS2's Marcia Kramer reported Friday.
Of course, Gov. Andrew Cuomo will have the last word before a shutdown is enacted, but Mayor de Blasio now says city residents should get ready to make do without many of the things they've gotten used to over the last few months.
Under the state metrics, all or parts of New York City would enter an Orange Zone if:
- It has a seven day positivity rate above 3% for 10 consecutive days.
- And has 10 or more new daily cases per 100,000 residents on a seven day rolling average.
The city's positivity rate was 3.02%. If that holds, the city could become designated an Orange Zone as soon as Nov. 30.
"That will happen soon after Thanksgiving, probably the first week of December," de Blasio said.
Watch Marcia Kramer's report --
It would mean an end to indoor dining. Takeout and delivery would still be allowed. Outdoor dining would be allowed with a limit of four people per table until 10 p.m.
Gyms, hair salons and other nonessential businesses will have to closed.
Private gatherings would be limited to 10 people max. Houses of worship would be limited to 25 people max.
"Something's going on here we have to address, and the only way we can address it is by putting restrictions in place," the mayor said.
CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC
- Explanation Of N.Y.'s Yellow, Orange, Red Zones (.pdf)
- Health Experts Stress Need To Fight 'Mask Exhaustion'
- Tri-State Area Coronavirus Travel Advisory List
- CBS2's Dr. Max Answers Your Health Questions
- Resources: Unemployment, Hunger, Mental Health & More
- Remote Learning Tools For Parents Teaching At Home
- Complete Coronavirus Coverage
Steve and Siobhan Dannacker were having one more date night inside a restaurant Friday night, just in case it's their last chance for the year.
"I anticipate it's gonna shut down, I think probably in another week or so," Steve Dannacker told CBS2's Ali Bauman.
The New York Hospitality Alliance, which represents 2,500 of the city's 24,000 restaurants predicted further damage to an industry already on life support. More than 150,000 restaurant employees are still out of work and 90,000 could find themselves laid off again.
"We need to close down restaurants as an absolute last resort, and if some places need to be closed, it should be done surgically. Not just blanket shutting down every single restaurant. Especially if you're not going to be compensating these small business owners," said Andrew Rigie, executive director of the New York City Hospitality Alliance
MORE FROM CBS NEW YORK:
- Coronavirus: Unless Something Dramatic Happens Quickly, New York City Staring At Orange Zone Status Soon
- Shock Video: Woman Survives After Being Shoves Onto Tracks As Train Arrives At Union Square Station
- COVID-19 In New Jersey: Irvington Mayor Considering Stay-At-Home Order, Working With Neighboring Cities On Shutdown Plan
Business leaders claim there's no proof of people getting sick from indoor dining, going to gyms or hair salons.
"It was devastating the first time. I think this one will be the icing on the cake, because the possibility that, if we're closed for a long time, I don't know how many restaurants will come back," said Fanis Tsiamtsiouris, who owns Metro Diner.
"There's a lot of mom-and-pop gyms that are no longer, are no longer in existence, and I would anticipate that if there was another closure, you're probably going to see more and more of that," said James Innocenti, COO of Planet Fitness.
Meanwhile, some businesses are shutting down even before mandates come down.
The Union Square Cafe is proactively halting its indoor and outdoor dining. The manager told CBS2 because they anticipate indoor dining will be shut down soon and outside, it's getting cold.
Late Friday afternoon, Gov. Cuomo said, by his calculations, New York City had a positivity rate of 2.5%, and suggested it's possible only parts of the city could be declared an Orange Zone. Some areas could get a reprieve based on micro-clusters.
"I think that accountability helps. I think the targeting of the restrictions to a locality means there's less economic disruption," Cuomo said.
The mayor admits contact tracers are not seeing major problems coming out of businesses right now but insists tight restrictions are the only way to turn around this kind of surge.
