Mayor Bill de Blasio bluntly said he “has no plans” to restore indoor dining in New York City, citing a link between indoor food and a resurgence of the coronavirus in other parts of the world.
“Indoors, there’s no plan at the moment,” Blasio told WNYC’s “The Brian Lehrer Show” Friday.
A call from Manhattan called Sharon had asked the mayor if there was a possibility that restaurants would be fully opened this year. At the moment, they can only have open seats or takeout.
“There is no context for dining inside. We never say it’s impossible. But we do not have it, based on what we see all over the world, we have no plan to open indoor dining in the short term, ”said the Blasio.
He called recessions COVID-19 in Hong Kong and Europe linked to the activity.
Andrew Rigie, head of the NYC Hospitality Alliance, was appalled by Hizzoner’s response.
“It’s jaw-dropping that there is no plan for the more than 25,000 food and beverage outlets and 300,000 workers in our city,” Rigie said.
‘If there is no plan to reopen in the short term while the rest of the state is open inside, what is the plan to support small businesses and workers in New York City while they are closed? Where is the relief of hair? Frege Rigie.
Jake Dell, owner of the famous Katz’s Delicatessen on East Houston Street in Manhattan, predicted “many places will go under without some sort of way forward.”
“It would be nice to at least know what the game plan is,” Dell said.
Chris Barish, who calls a pop-up burger joint called Singles and Doubles in Soho, called on Hizzoner to do better.
“We need leadership, and Mayor de Blasio must step up and act now,” Barish said.
Some 100 restaurants in Brooklyn and Staten Island are planning a class action lawsuit to force the mayor and governor to open their eateries immediately.
Only about 10,000 of the city’s 25,000 food establishments participate in the city’s open dining program, and even so, 83 percent could not pay their full rent last month, according to a survey by the Rigie group.
More than half of New York City hairdressers are unemployed, according to Eater.
City Council Minority Leader Steven Matteo (R-Staten Island) also slammed the Blasio for not even having a timeline while restaurants went under.
“This administration will bring restaurants in our city out of business if it does not allow indoor dining. It is absolutely unacceptable that the mayor has no plan and no ideas on how this can happen, ”Matteo said.
“Allow indoors to open now with the right protocols in place – restaurants literally can’t afford to wait any longer,” he said.
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