New Yorkers were joyous when the bar & restaurant curfew was extended to midnight earlier last month…and now it will be totally ending!
Governor Cuomo announced today that the outdoor dining curfew of midnight will end on Monday, May 17, and the indoor dining curfew will end on Monday, May 31.
NEW: Beginning May 17, the 12am outdoor dining area curfew for bars & restaurants will be lifted.
The 12am indoor area curfew will be lifted on May 31.
— Archive: Governor Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) April 28, 2021
It comes at a time when many other dining restrictions are lifting — from raising indoor dining capacity to no longer requiring food to be served with alcohol.
Another big one? Seating at bars opened back up on May 3, a pastime that hadn’t gone on in NYC for almost a year. Curfews for all catered events will end on May 31 as well, and ones with proof of vaccination or negative test can end on May 17. Catered events were also allowed to resume at residences beginning May 3.
“We know the COVID positivity rate is a function of our behavior, and over the last year New Yorkers have remained disciplined and continued with the practices we know work to stop the spread of the virus,” Governor Cuomo said.
Everything we’ve been doing is working – all the arrows are pointing in the right direction and now we’re able to increase economic activity even more. Lifting these restrictions for restaurants, bars and catering companies will allow these businesses that have been devastated by the pandemic to begin to recover as we return to a new normal in a post-pandemic world. To be clear: we will only be able to maintain this progress if everyone gets the COVID vaccine. It is the weapon that will will the war and we need everyone to take it, otherwise we risk going backward.
Now “closing time” will only be determined by the bar again!
featured image source: The Ready rooftop