12 AUGUST 27, 2020 RIDGEWOOD TIMES WWW.QNS.COM
Stop dragging feet on indoor dining
Mayor Bill de Blasio insists that
public schools are safe to
reopen under the “blended
model” plan. Though disagreements
have arisen, the schools are nevertheless
set to reopen to children in less
than three weeks.
Museums across the city are reopening
this week, to limited capacity. Last
week, Governor Andrew Cuomo gave
clearance to a limited reopening for
bowling alleys and gyms. All of these
reopenings are welcomed, though
there’s quite a bit of risk involved.
Since reopening began in June, New
York City’s COVID-19 infection rate
has remained blessedly low. Even so,
nearly three months into the eff ort,
New York City still does not have a
plan to restore indoor dining as restaurants
citywide struggle to make
ends meet.
“Indoor dining, there’s not a plan
right now,” de Blasio said, incredibly,
during an Aug. 21 interview with
WNYC radio’s Brian Lehrer. “There’s
not a context for indoor dining. We’re
never saying it’s impossible. But we do
not, based on what we’ve seen around
EDITORIAL
THE HOT TOPIC
STORY:
Hotels required to have guests fi ll out
two-week travel quarantine form:
Mayor
SUMMARY:
Mayor Bill de Blasio signed an executive
order on Aug. 18 requiring that all
hotels and short-term rentals have
guests arriving from states with high
numbers of coronavirus cases sign
a two-week quarantine form before
giving them access to rooms.
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Outdoor dining has seen some success, but as summer winds down, Mayor de Blasio and Governor Cuomo must
work together to implement a plan to bring indoor dining back to New York City. Photo by Dean Moses
the world, we do not have a plan for
reopening indoor dining in the near
term.”
Eateries were permitted to remain
open during the COVID-19 crisis by
off ering takeout or delivery, but that
accounted for just a small fraction of
business. The introduction of outdoor
dining in June aimed to help recoup
some of the losses for those that weathered
the storm.
But the clock is ticking on them, in
more ways than one.
The least of their problems is the
calendar. Summer is drawing to a
close next month; cold fall air will
settle in by November, and sitting
outside to eat won’t be very feasible
or pleasant.
The worst of their problems?
Mounting bills from lost weeks and
months of income. More than 80 percent
of restaurants surveyed by the
NYC Hospitality Alliance said they
couldn’t aff ord to pay their full July
rent. Federal relief that many received
has run out, or is nearly exhausted,
and there’s little hope for additional
aid from Washington.
We find it hard to believe that
indoor restaurants — with strict capacity
restrictions, social distancing
measures and hygienic standards in
place — would be any more dangerous
to reopen than gyms, bowling alleys,
museums and schools.
We can’t reopen eateries as they
were pre-pandemic, but we can’t keep
them closed. There’s no excuse for de
Blasio or Cuomo not to fi nd a path
forward for indoor dining in New
York City.
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