Just in time for Labor Day weekend…
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy announced today (August 31) that indoor dining would return to the Garden State this Friday, September 4, at 25% capacity:
NEW: Restaurants statewide will be able to open for indoor dining beginning this FRIDAY at 25% capacity and with social distancing between tables.
Reopening responsibly will help us restore one of our state’s key industries while continuing to make progress against #COVID19. pic.twitter.com/EPdEfi5Dmh
— Governor Phil Murphy (@GovMurphy) August 31, 2020
The announcement comes at a time when there is still no timeline or news about indoor dining in NYC. Just last week, Mayor de Blasio suggested it may not return to the city until 2021. Indoor dining reopened in phase 3 for every other region in New York State, but was cut from NYC’s reopening plan only days prior by Governor Cuomo due to safety concerns.
Of course, New Jersey is close enough for New Yorkers to simply head over during colder months, but that’s similar to Long Island which has been open for indoor dining since June 24. Will this cause New Yorkers to…we can’t believe we’re writing this…start hanging out in Jersey?! Only time will tell…
In other news: Chelsea Market Opens NYC’s Largest Stretch Of Outdoor Dining Space
featured image source: Photo by Sandra Seitamaa on Unsplash