Gov. Andrew Cuomo Expected To Announce Decision On Allowing Indoor Dining In NYC: 'I Need The Local Governments To Do The Compliance'
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Gov. Phil Murphy is delaying indoor dining for New Jersey, and on Wednesday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo is expected to make a decision on whether or not to delay indoor dining in New York City.
Huge crowds of mostly maskless people ignoring social distancing outside bars and restaurants in Hell's Kitchen, the Upper East Side and the East Village have left the governor wondering if indoor dining is a good idea right now.
"I need the local governments to do the compliance. I know there's a lot going on with the NYPD now, but they have to enforce it," Cuomo said.
Mayor Bill de Blasio's press secretary tweeted in response, "The mayor decided long ago that police aren't the answer to social distancing; the Gov should heed our lesson."
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The governor is set to decide on whether to delay indoor dining Wednesday.
To help him make that decision, he got a snapshot of New York City on Tuesday night, checking in on restaurants and patrons to see if current guidelines were followed.
"We're going to have state police, we're going to have department of health monitors, we're going to have state liquor authority monitors," Cuomo said.
The state has about 30 inspectors out across all five boroughs, but they're not saying exactly where they're going, CBS2's Alice Gainer reports.
CBS2 also took a look.
Whether it was the questionable weather, the fact that some bars are only open for part of the week or people finally getting the message, on the Upper East Side, Hell's Kitchen and East Village, it seemed like everyone was on their best behavior in the previously crowded areas.
"It's hurting a lot," Verasak Sangsiri, at Aqua Boil, said.
Most restaurant owners are not optimistic the city will proceed with indoor dining right now, but say they desperately need that part of business back and have a message for diners.
"When they're dining out, just follow the rules. Stay six feet apart. Help the resttaurants survive," Sangsiri said.
Some fear further delays will further sink their business.
