On Eve Of NYC Indoor Dining’s Return, Coronavirus Rate Hits Low

NEW YORK CITY — The long-awaited return of indoor dining in New York City will coincide with a months-long low for coronavirus numbers statewide.

But the low daily COVID-19 positivity rate — 3.54 percent, the lowest since Nov. 25 — reported Thursday by Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s office wasn’t quite matched in New York City.

The city’s daily rate stood at 4.95 percent on a seven-day average, according to the state-measured numbers. The rate as calculated separately by city officials is even higher — 8.14 percent, Mayor Bill de Blasio tweeted.

"We are headed in the right direction, but we are not at the end of the tunnel yet,” Cuomo said in a statement.

Indoor dining is poised to return to New York City on Friday at 25 percent capacity.

It’s a sigh of relief for restaurateurs, who’ve struggled as the pandemic cut down on business and winter weather impedes outdoor dining.

But many New Yorkers remain wary of reopening dining rooms, particularly as new strains of the coronavirus keep spreading.

The New York Times editorial board labeled Cuomo’s decision to reopen indoor dining “baffling” given the new strains and the coronavirus vaccination effort’s precarious state.

“By relaxing restrictions now, state and local leaders are undermining their own vaccination efforts,” they wrote.