ALBANY – Because of the increase in COVID-19 cases across the state, bars, restaurants, and gyms or fitness centers will be required to close from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. daily, Governor Cuomo announced on Wednesday.
The new rules are effective on Friday at 10 p.m.
Restaurants will still be allowed to provide curbside, food-only pick-up or delivery after 10 p.m., but will not be permitted to serve alcohol to go. The State Liquor Authority will issue further guidance for licensees as to what sales are continued to be permitted.
The governor also announced that indoor and outdoor gatherings at private residences will be limited to no more than 10 people because of the recent prevalence of COVID-19 spread resulting from small indoor gatherings including Halloween parties.
He said those gatherings have become a major cause of cluster activity across the state. The public health measure brings New York State in line with neighboring states including Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island. This new rule is also effective Friday at 10 p.m.
“If you look at where the cases are coming from, if you do the contact tracing, you’ll see they’re coming from three main areas: establishments where alcohol is served, gyms, and indoor gatherings at private homes,” Cuomo said. “The reason we have been successful in reducing the spread in New York is we have been a step ahead of COVID. You know where it’s going; stop it before it gets there. And you know where it’s going by following the science. This is the calibration that we’ve talked about: increase economic activity, watch the positivity rate – if the positivity rate starts to go up, back off on the economic activity. It was never binary — economic activity or public health — it was always both.”
He said the rules are “only as good as the enforcement. Local governments are in charge of enforcement.”
There are only two fundamental truths in this situation: it’s individual discipline and it’s government enforcement. Period. End of sentence. I need the local governments to enforce this.”
COUNTY
TOTAL POSITIVE
NEW POSITIVE (as of Tuesday)
Columbia
844
19
Dutchess
5,944
65
Greene
564
1
Orange
14,701
148
Putnam
2,030
26
Rockland
19,277
144
Sullivan
1,932
12
Ulster
2,694
24
Westchester
42,940
244
NEWS STORY PROVIDED BY: Mid Hudson News -www.midhudsonnews.com