Andrew Yang, the former presidential candidate who is considered one of the frontrunners for the Democratic nomination, appeared on the Lower East Side Tuesday to pitch further loosening of coronavirus restrictions.
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"Thank you for being here," he told supporters. "Let's get our bars back open."
Yang wants the midnight curfew on bars extended until 4 a.m., he wants patrons to be allowed to sit at the bar, and he says Albany needs to ease liquor license requirements.
"Getting the bars and restaurants open again is mission critical, and the city and the state should be working in tandem to clear out obstacles at every turn," he said.
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Yang said the current rule of having to order food to get a drink needs to be dropped right away.
"We should allow bars to serve alcohol without food," he said. "It's a very reasonable standard."
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Also Tuesday, New York City Comptroller Scott stringer unveiled his first TV ad in his campaign for mayor.
"He's been a progressive from day one who will be ready on day one," the ad states.
Stringer called for 200 new playgrounds and parks, many to be built mid-block or at the end of dead end streets, and doubling the Department of Parks budget.
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"Today's parks department headcount is 35% lower than it was in the early 1970s," he said. "That's not what a 21st century city is about."
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The New York Times noted on its front page Tuesday that most New Yorkers aren't paying much attention to the mayor's race, distracted by things like the pandemic, but primary day is fast approaching -- just eight weeks away.
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