27 More NYC Bars, Restaurants Ticketed For Coronavirus Violations

NEW YORK CITY — Turns out fighting the coronavirus is a real buzzkill for New York City.

Twenty-seven New York City bars and restaurants on Sunday were cited by state inspectors for social distancing and other coronavirus-related violations, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said.

Cuomo gave a toast to struggling bars Monday after he announced the results from the weekend crackdown.

"I understand their position that this close down has been very tough on them, I understand it, I appreciate it, I respect it, I'm sympathetic with their plight," he said. "But we also have to protect public health and we accomplish nothing if we have to roll back some rules and regulations on bars and restaurants."

The bars cited Sunday spread across all five boroughs, Cuomo said.

Cuomo recently beefed up State Liquor Authority enforcement on pandemic party scenes over concerns about spreading the coronavirus — a job on which he claimed New York City officials have been lax. He said state agents handed out 105 violations on Friday and Saturday.

Sunday should have been a slow day, but that wasn't the case in New York City, he said.

"This is primarily New York City based, we had people in Nassau and Suffolk, no violations were issued in Nassau and Suffolk, but they were issued in the Bronx and Brooklyn and Manhattan and Queens and Staten Island," he said.