New York City is the only major city in the world that is yet to reopen indoor dining after closing for the coronavirus pandemic, despite ...
New York City is the only major city in the world that is yet to reopen indoor dining after closing for the coronavirus pandemic, despite having greater testing than anywhere else and an infection rate of less than one percent.
The industry in the Big Apple is at its wits end with Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio who inexplicably won't allow discussions for indoor dining to resume.
They insist it is not safe and that other regions have seen a sudden uptick in cases when it begins but every other city in the state of New York is allowing it and most around America are too.
Beyond the US, in cities including London, Paris, Milan and Beijing - all of which coronavirus spikes - indoor dining is happening safely.
It has driven restaurateurs and bar owners in New York to sue the city and state for $2billion in damages. They are now seeking an injunction and are demanding Cuomo and de Blasio show the so-called scientific evidence they have that proves it cannot be done safely.
New York City restaurants remain closed for indoor dining indefinitely until officials can decide on a plan to reopen them. It is destroying the entire industry and is growing increasingly difficult to understand when infection rates are low and other indoor activities like shopping, haircuts and nail salons are able to function
The infection rate in New York City has now been below one percent since July and the number of deaths and hospitalizations continues to go down
LONDON - JULY 4th REOPENING
Indoor dining in London resumed on July 4 and people were allowed to dine indoors immediately.
There were rules - like the number of people permitted at one table and how far apart people had to sit - but the infection rate held somewhat steady afterwards.
People were not only told they could go out again to bars and restaurants but they were encouraged to do it by the British government's Eat Out to Help Out scheme which subsidized restaurants, allowing them to give diners 50 percent off their meals, to draw in more customers.
The UK's infection rate saw a slight uptick afterwards but the number of daily deaths remains lower than ever before.
Diners in The Bluebird in London on July 4, when dining reopened across the UK after weeks of closures. Perspex glass separates the tables and staff had to wear extra safety equipment but it has proven safe
Dining indoors in London and other parts of the UK resumed on July 4 but it did not cause a spike in COVID-19 deaths. There was a slight uptick in cases but deaths remain lower than in months
PARIS - JUNE 15th REOPENING
Restaurants in Paris were allowed to welcome diners again on June 15. Staff had to wear masks and some were tentative about reopening but the number of deaths remained low.
It allowed residents, many of whom are elderly, to return to the cafe culture they adore with special, new safety precautions.
Tourists from other parts of France were also allowed to revisit.
The staff of Paris restaurant La Tour d'Argent is briefed before the lunch service in central Paris on September 2, 2020. France allowed people back into restaurants on June 15 and so far it has had no bearing on COVID-19 deaths
Across France, there has been an uptick in the number of cases recently - due largely in part to summer travel - but the number of deaths are nowhere close to where they were at their worst
BERLIN - MAY 15th REOPENING
All of Germany's restaurants were allowed to reopen, bringing people back inside, on May 15th. The number was limited to fewer than six at a table and only if they were from two households or less.
That was relaxed the following month.
Before she made the decision, German Chancellor Angela Merkel noted the decrease in coronavirus cases and deaths.
'We can afford some audacity,' she said at the time.
All of Germany's restaurants were allowed to reopen, bringing people back inside, on May 15th. The number was limited to fewer than six at a table and only if they were from two households or less
Before she made the decision, German Chancellor Angela Merkel noted the decrease in coronavirus cases and deaths. 'We can afford some audacity,' she said at the time.
ITALY - MAY 18TH REOPENING
Italy, which once saw catastrophic coronavirus numbers like the rest of Italy, allowed diners back into restaurants, bars and shops on May 18, after the spike had passed.
It allowed teaming metropolises like Rome, Florence, Naples and Milan to restart an essential part of their economy after the crippling months-long lockdown.
Since then, cases have seen a slight uptick but deaths remain lower than they were in April.
Restaurant staff wear face masks as they serve meals to customers at 'La Favorita' restaurant ahead of the 77th edition of the Venice Film Festival at the Venice Lido, Italy, Monday, Aug. 31, 2020
Since restaurants reopened in May, cases have seen a slight uptick but deaths remain lower than they were in April
SINGAPORE - JUNE 19TH REOPENING
On June 19, Singapore - which had some of the strictest lockdown rules in the world - reopened bars and restaurants.
Among the mandatory safety measures were temperature checks for diners and a limited number of seating.
Digital check-ins were also implemented so that if there was an outbreak, restaurants could quickly trace who had been where and notify others of the risks.
A staff member wearing a face mask as a prevention measure against the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus takes the temperature of a customer lining up outside a McDonald's fast food restaurant on its first day of opening after three weeks closure due to the pandemic in Singapore
CHINA - APRIL REOPENINGS
China, where the virus originated, saw its peak towards the end of last year and at the start of his year.
Restaurants began reopening tentatively in April and since then, there has only been one major spike in infections and deaths which the state says is down to a statistical anomaly and not down to them covering anything up or a second wave.
People eat in a restaurant in Wuhan, China's central Hubei province on September 4, 2020. Wuhan was where the virus began
People eat at a newly-opened Taco Bell restaurant in Beijing on August 21, 2020. Restaurants began reopening tentatively in April and since then, there has only been one major spike in infections and deaths which the state says is down to a statistical anomaly and not down to them covering anything up or a second wave.
Restaurants began reopening tentatively in April and since then, there has only been one major spike in infections and deaths which the state says is down to a statistical anomaly and not down to them covering anything up or a second wave
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