Reopening New Jersey: Indoor dining and movie theaters are back!

Saturday, September 5, 2020

Indoor dining and movie theaters in NJ are here!

Naveen Dhaliwal reports on the reopening of indoor dining and movie theaters in New Jersey.

NEW JERSEY (WABC) -- New Jersey takes another step forward Friday on its road to reopening.

Movie theaters are permitted to reopen, and restaurants can seat customers indoors with restrictions.

At the Malibu Diner in Hoboken, outdoor picnic tables are not going away anytime soon.

But now eating inside the restaurant is also an option.

Governor Phil Murphy announced indoor dining can resume at 25 percent of maximum capacity and social distancing.

Gov. Phil Murphy announces the reopening of indoor dining in New Jersey.

In addition, tables have to be six feet apart, and servers and customers have to wear masks.

Long-suffering restaurant owners and managers say they are happy to comply.

"We've been turning things over. We ordered all new silverware, because now we're doing both indoor and outdoor," said Linda Milne, manager of Leo's.

"Everything's got to be sanitized," said waitress Liz Micalizzi. "Waiters and waitresses have to wear our masks. Customers, our guests, are allowed in the restaurant with a mask. Only when they're eating or drinking is that allowed to come off."

New York Governor Cuomo is facing pressure from the NYC restaurant industry, which has seen business plummet amid the pandemic and hundreds of workers seeking unemployment assistance.

That order on masks does go further than some other places: you have to keep your mask on even after sitting down, and it must stay on until your food arrives.

Diana Rocco reports movie theaters are permitted to reopen, and restaurants can seat customers indoors with restrictions.

Meantime, indoor entertainment, including movie theaters, performing arts and concerts, are also allowed to resume in the Garden State, also at 25 percent capacity.

You can sit together if you purchased tickets together.

As of Monday, New Jersey had 352 new positive cases, pushing the state's cumulative total to 191,960.

There were eight new confirmed COVID-19 deaths for a total of 14,165 lives lost.

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