New York City could end indoor dining next week, says Andrew Cuomo

Andrew Cuomo said a decision will be made at the end of the week

Andrew Cuomo, the governor of New York, said indoor dining may well end next week in New York City (New York Governor Andrew Cuomo)

New York City will "probably" close all indoor dining in restaurants next week, the governor of New York said on Monday, unless the numbers being admitted to hospital stabilises.

Andrew Cuomo said that pressure on intensive care units meant drastic measures were likely to be necessary. A decision will be taken at the end of the week, he said.

"Do I believe between now and five days we'll see a stabilization rate in New York City? I would be pleasantly surprised.  

"I don't think it is probable, but it is possible," he said.  

Indoor dining will close if hospitals reach 90 per cent capacity.

"Do I think we hit hospitalization criticality and have to close down? I pray no, I hope no, I hope New Yorkers get it before we get there."

At the moment restaurants in New York City are only allowed to operate at 25 per cent capacity for indoor dining, and in the rest of the state at 50 per cent, under a relaxation announced on 30 September.

In California an even more stringent ruling went in to effect on Sunday night, with outdoor dining also banned in three regions - the Bay Area, the Central Valley, and Southern California, which encompasses Los Angeles.

Michigan on Monday extended a ban on indoor dining for 12 more days; in Kentucky a ban on indoor dining also remains in place.

In New York City there are currently 1,406 patients being treated for Covid in hospital.

At least 64 new coronavirus deaths and 9,710 new cases were reported in New York on Sunday.

Over the past week, there has been an average of 9,240 cases per day, an increase of 80 per cent from the average two weeks earlier.

As of Monday morning, more than 14,825,100 people in the United States have been infected with the coronavirus and at least 282,300 have died, according to a New York Times database.  

Mr Cuomo said that they had little option, if the cases continued to rise.

"We will manage the hospital system as well as it can be managed, but if you’re going to overwhelm the hospital system, then we have no choice to go to lockdown," he said.

Asked when indoor dining would resume, he said he did not know, but speculated it would get worse.

"When would you undo restrictions? You'd have to see a stabilization or reduction," he said.

"Frankly, we're looking at the opposite situation. We're looking at continued increases from now through mid-January."

Restaurateurs, who have been expecting the announcement, reacted with sadness.

Some called on the government to do more to prevent businesses from collapsing.

"NYC restaurants desperately need financial support," said Andrew Rigie, the head of the NYC Hospitality Alliance.  

"Another shut down will result in countless more restaurants and jobs lost. Who is going to help these small business owners and workers???"