New York City may slow reopening amid rising cases elsewhere in US

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) suggested Monday he may put the third phase of reopening from coronavirus restrictions on hold for the New York City area amid what he said were warning signs that residents are not abiding by social distancing guidelines.

Both Cuomo and New York Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) expressed concerns specifically about the planned reopening of dine-in restaurant service at reduced capacity, with Cuomo telling NY1 this aspect was of particular concern.

“We have a week before New York City enters the next phase and we have numbers every day … but malls and indoor dining are things that I’m concerned about and we may consider slowing them down for next week,” Cuomo told NY1. “I would not want to roll back anything we’ve done. I want to continue to move forward but we may move forward with caution.”

The governor specifically cited images of Manhattan businesses failing to enforce bans on mass gatherings and limited capacity. Cuomo had previously threatened to pull the liquor licenses of bars and restaurants that fail to properly enforce social distancing measures.”

Cuomo’s concerns contradict his earlier remarks indicating that the city will be subject to the same reopening guidelines as the state’s other regions. On Monday, however, he told NY1 the city is “different” and reopening presents challenges not present in other parts of the Empire State.

De Blasio in his remarks said adjustments would continually be made.

“We’re at a watershed moment for the city of New York. We have to get it right. We’re going to make adjustments all the time and we’ll be open to you about when we need to make adjustments,” de Blasio said Monday at his daily briefing. “But we’re also going to be very open about the progress and what we need to do. When we see a problem, like concerns about indoor dining, we have to address it.”