COVID NY Update: NYC Restaurants Outside NYC May Increase to 75% Capacity on March 19

NEW YORK (WABC) – Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that New York restaurants outside of New York City will be able to increase their capacity to 75% on March 19, the same day Connecticut lifts many of its restrictions.

“Remember, you have a lot of staff in restaurants, there are a lot of jobs, there are a lot of vendors, so we’re going 75%,” Cuomo said. “We also think that 75% is what the consumer is prepared for.”

The measure is a 50% increase from current capacity for inland dining outside of New York City.

Cuomo did not suggest increasing capacity by 35% in New York.

Cuomo announced the change when he revealed that he is signing the New York Legislature’s emergency powers bill passed Friday.

Now it cannot issue new directives at the state level without legislative consent, although it can still issue executive orders.

Existing orders will remain in effect, such as requirements for wearing masks, and Cuomo may modify existing restrictions, such as limits on public gatherings and capacity.

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