Cuomo Lifts Gathering Restrictions Across New York State

(Bloomberg) -- Governor Andrew Cuomo lifted restrictions in most hot spots across New York state, declaring an end to the post-holiday surge in Covid-19 cases and hospitalizations.

Indoor dining at New York City restaurants remains shut. The governor said he will be speaking with local officials and announce a plan by the end of the week for potentially easing that restriction.

The limit on capacity would likely be 25%, Cuomo said Wednesday. “How and when do you do that?” he said.

“This has been economically devastating for a number of businesses, the restaurants included, so I want to get them up and running as quickly as possible,” Cuomo said.

The governor had suspended indoor dining in December amid a resurgence of the virus.

The areas no longer under so-called yellow zone restriction include portions of central and western New York and the southern border. Yellow zones remain in two areas of the Bronx, one in Queens, one in Manhatttan’s Washington Heights and one in Newburgh on the Hudson River, Cuomo said. In those spots, nonresidential gatherings are restricted to 25 people, residential gatherings are limited to 10, houses of worship can operate at 50% capacity and indoor and outdoor dining are restricted.

Cuomo reported a fifth-straight decrease in daily cases. Positivity and hospitalizations are on the decline across the state, he said.

The governor had said Jan. 25 that the state was ready to loosen restrictions and to increase economic activity. He allowed elective surgeries to resume in Erie County and said he would announce more adjustments Wednesday.

Of 202,661 tests reported Tuesday, 11,028 were positive, or 5.44%. On Dec. 29, the rate was 8.7%.

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