NYC Indoor Dining Delay Eyed After National Coronavirus Spikes

NEW YORK, NEW YORK — New Yorkers patiently awaiting a return to indoor dining could have to wait longer thanks to coronavirus spikes hundreds of miles away in Michigan and Texas.

Mayor Bill de Blasio on Monday said those out-of-state surges revealed a "troubling nexus" between indoor dining and the spread of COVID-19.

And with New York City on track to further reopen on July 6 with Phase Three — which includes indoor restaurant service, nail salons and other personal care businesses — de Blasio said the link caused added concerns.

"We are now going to reexamine the indoor dining rules for Phase Three," Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Monday.

The rest of Phase Three is on pace, even though indoor dining is now "in question," de Blasio said.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo echoed those concerns said a final decision on indoor dining will be made on Wednesday.

New York City's coronavirus numbers have fallen steadily and remain well below reopening thresholds. Just 2 percent of city residents tested positive for COVID-19 on Sunday, de Blasio said.

But those falling numbers in New York City were matched by record-breaking rises in states with less stringent lockdown protocols like Florida and Texas, where clusters have been tied back to bars and restaurants, de Blasio said.

California once made great progress on coronavirus, but changed rules on bars and restaurants as it slipped back, de Blasio said.

He singled out an East Lansing, Michigan establishment as a cautionary tale.

"Eighty-five patrons tested positive for the coronavirus, all linked back to a single restaurant," he said.

The Lansing State Journal reported the restaurant — Harper's — reopened on June 8 under rules that allow eateries and bars to operate with limited capacity. It's now temporarily closed as owners try to form a plan to eliminate long outdoor lines and install an air-purifying system, the Journal reported.

The lines of young boozers photographed outside that East Lansing joint recall similar scenes in Astoria and numerous spots in Manhattan, including the East Village.

De Blasio said the city officials will work with their state counterparts to figure out whether to pause indoor dining or modify the rules for Phase Three.

"We'll have more to say in the next couple of days because we want restaurant owners to have that information right away," he said.

Andrew Rigie, executive director of New York Hospitality Alliance, said restaurants and bars will defer to public health officials, but urged "immediate support" on rent and expanded outdoor dining to help the recovery.

"New York City restaurants and bars have been financially devastated and the only thing they can afford less than reopening now, is to reopen, rehire and resupply only to be shut down again shortly thereafter," he said in a statement.