New York bars, restaurants get new 10 p.m. curfew
New York bars, restaurants and gyms will have to close at 10 p.m. as coronavirus infection rates rise across the state.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced the new restrictions during a call with reporters on Wednesday. They will go into effect at 10 p.m. on Friday. Restaurants will still be allowed to sell takeout food, but not alcohol, after 10 p.m.
Private parties will also be capped at 10 people, a measure Cuomo says is being implemented largely because it is required in some neighboring states.
Where the state stands now: New York’s statewide infection rate was 2.9 percent on Wednesday.
What’s next: Portions of Staten Island and Tioga County will become yellow zones as part of the state's strategy to target microclusters. Port Chester in Westchester will be an orange zone.
Cuomo urged residents to continue complying with ever-evolving social distancing measures, saying that he is hopeful the worst days of the pandemic are behind.
"I would say we are within sight of the finish line,” he said. “The vaccine has been discovered. It has to be perfected, it has to be operationalized."
