Gov. Cuomo wants 4,000-strong ‘social distancing’ enforcement unit as NYC restaurants sue for $2 BILLION over indoor dining ban
RT-USA News
Cuomo addressed reopening businesses in NYC and elsewhere during a press call on Thursday, saying “compliance and enforcement” would drive the state’s guidance on lifting sweeping shutdowns imposed to slow the spread of the coronavirus, especially when it comes to indoor eateries.
“If we open restaurants, that’s going to complicate by the hundreds if not thousands the number of establishments that have to be monitored,” Cuomo said, adding that his office would soon contact New York City officials to discuss the creation of the 4,000-person enforcement unit.
We’re going to contact [City Council Speaker Corey Johnson] today and say, ‘If New York City can say this many police, NYPD can be put on a task force to monitor the compliance,’ that is something we can discuss.
Outdoor dining was allowed to resume under an executive order signed by Cuomo in July, but indoor establishments remain shuttered under the restrictions, which some city officials, including Johnson, have called to end as fall and winter draw near.
“It’s time to allow indoor dining in New York City with reduced capacity and clear guidance to ensure social distancing and safety,” the city council speaker said in a statement on Wednesday. “Summer is winding down, and they need to begin planning for the colder months.”
Citing a city council spokesperson, Reason magazine noted that Johnson agrees that social distancing must be enforced, but said he would prefer to use city agencies other than the NYPD.
While NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio (pictured here) told reporters on Thursday that he was looking into extending a program that allows restaurants to set up on sidewalks and even some streets, he declined to give any timeline for when indoor dining could come back, despite previously saying a decision would come this month.
“It has to be health and safety first. It has to be, how do we defeat coronavirus? That’s the first consideration,” the mayor said.
Not long after Cuomo’s press call, a group of some 350 New York City restaurants filed a class action lawsuit against the governor, Mayor de Blasio and other state officials, seeking $2 billion in damages for “irreparable harm” done to the city’s food and beverage industry by government-imposed lockdowns. An Italian restaurant in Queens, Il Bacco, is leading the suit, and argues NYC’s coronavirus policies put it at a competitive disadvantage, as eateries in nearby Nassau County have been cleared for indoor dining.
Restaurants and bars have taken a beating in New York City amid the economic devastation brought by the shutdowns, with Yelp reporting that nearly 1,000 eating and drinking businesses have been forced to close their doors for good since March. New York Eater, meanwhile, estimates that nearly 20 NYC eateries went under in the first three days of September alone.
_________
Related from RT
‘Is that a threat?’ Gov. Cuomo says Trump ‘better have an army’ to protect him if he comes to New York
DOJ orders New York & other states that sent Covid-19 patients into nursing homes to turn over records
*********
(TLB) published this article from RT-USA News
••••
••••
Stay tuned to …
••••
The Liberty Beacon Project is now expanding at a near exponential rate, and for this we are grateful and excited! But we must also be practical. For 7 years we have not asked for any donations, and have built this project with our own funds as we grew. We are now experiencing ever increasing growing pains due to the large number of websites and projects we represent. So we have just installed donation buttons on our websites and ask that you consider this when you visit them. Nothing is too small. We thank you for all your support and your considerations … (TLB)
••••
Comment Policy: As a privately owned web site, we reserve the right to remove comments that contain spam, advertising, vulgarity, threats of violence, racism, or personal/abusive attacks on other users. This also applies to trolling, the use of more than one alias, or just intentional mischief. Enforcement of this policy is at the discretion of this websites administrators. Repeat offenders may be blocked or permanently banned without prior warning.
••••
Disclaimer: TLB websites contain copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available to our readers under the provisions of “fair use” in an effort to advance a better understanding of political, health, economic and social issues. The material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving it for research and educational purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material for purposes other than “fair use” you must request permission from the copyright owner.
••••
Disclaimer: The information and opinions shared are for informational purposes only including, but not limited to, text, graphics, images and other material are not intended as medical advice or instruction. Nothing mentioned is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
Leave a Reply