Coronavirus Update: New York City business owners face uncertain future as new restrictions loom

Coronavirus update for NYC

ByEyewitness News WABC logo

Sunday, November 22, 2020

New York City business owners face uncertain future as new restrictions loom

Even though New York's positivity rate is the lowest in the Tri-State area, officials are still warning that new restrictions are imminent.

NEW YORK (WABC) -- Even though New York's positivity rate is the lowest in the Tri-State area, officials are still warning that new restrictions are imminent.

Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Saturday New York City's seven-day positivity rate has gone up once again. The mayor said on Twitter the city's infection rate is now 3.11% -- it was 3.02% on Friday.

On Friday, de Blasio again warned New York City is headed for new restrictions as data shows COVID-19 cases are still rising.

The day after he announced that New York City schools would close to in-person learning, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Thursday that other businesses will likely shut down within a week or two, as well, to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

"The restrictions that are coming. I've been very overt in the fact that the governor said an orange zone is coming. By our own projections, based on the state data, that will happen soon after Thanksgiving, probably the first week of December," de Blasio said during a radio appearance.

Those restrictions would include closing indoor dining, gyms, and salons.

Daniel Meyer, a New York City restaurateur and the Chief Executive Officer of the Union Square Hospitality Group, is closing indoor and outdoor dining at Union Square Café as well as of all of his other restaurants.

Currently, the city is offering only 25 percent indoor capacity, and that could be in jeopardy if the city enters the so-called "orange zone." Under state guidelines, New York City would need a seven-day 3 percent positivity rate for 10 straight days to move into the orange zone.

New restrictions would suspend indoor dining for at least ten days. Outdoor dining would still be permitted, but that's undoubtedly a challenge as winter approaches.

Starbucks also announced they are eliminating indoor seating at all of its city locations.

The governor says no orange zone declaration has been announced yet, but the mayor says it could happen the first week of December.

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