De Blasio 'hopeful' indoor dining announcement coming 'as early as this week'
'Everyone is working together to figure out what is safe,' NYC mayor says
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio on Wednesday said he is “hopeful” that the city will have an announcement on whether restaurants can begin indoor dining amid the coronavirus pandemic, as early as this week.
During a press conference Wednesday, de Blasio told reporters that he has been having “a lot of conversations” with New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's office this week.
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“Everyone is working together trying to figure out what is safe,” de Blasio said. “We have seen problems around the world with indoor dining, so we are taking it very seriously.”
De Blasio referenced problems “with bars and nightclubs.”
“Those need to be handled in a more stringent fashion,” he said, adding that he and health officials, in coordination with Cuomo’s office, are “making progress.”
A woman walks by a restaurant in Manhattan on Aug. 31, 2020 in New York City. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
“We all need to come to an agreement on what will be safe,” he said, adding the guidelines will determine “how something should happen” and “when it should happen.”
“I am hopeful we will have an announcement as early as this week,” de Blasio said Wednesday. “But there is more work to be done.”
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De Blasio went on to note that the “enforcement” of potential indoor dining would be “done here on the ground.”
“We’ll have to figure out a way that we feel confident about the enforcement,” he said. “Whatever vision we come up with, we will make sure it is carefully handled every day here in New York City.”
De Blasio’s comments come after Cuomo, last week, said he does not have a plan to allow New York City restaurants to reopen indoor dining.
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Cuomo's office did not immediately respond to FOX Business' request for comment.
Also last week, de Blasio seemed to suggest the resumption of indoor dining could wait until the development of a vaccine to combat the novel coronavirus.
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At this point, more than 300 restaurants have joined the class-action lawsuit seeking over $2 billion in damages as a result of New York City’s indoor dining ban.