Reconsider To-Go Booze Rules Amid Partying NYC Crowds, Pol Says

NEW YORK, NY — Crowds of bar-goers ignoring social distancing rules as they party on New York City sidewalks has one Manhattan lawmaker reconsidering his idea to let restaurants continue takeout cocktails after the coronavirus pandemic.

State Sen. Brad Hoylman said Saturday that he is reassessing his bill to let restaurants and bars offer takeout wine, beer and cocktails two years after the coronavirus shutdown order ends and suggested that Gov. Andrew Cuomo even look into stopping the to-go booze before that.

The call to reconsider comes after reports over the weekend of New Yorkers flocking to sidewalks and streets outside restaurants, despite bans on in-person dining and rules about social distancing. Hoylman specifically pointed to crowds on St. Marks Place in Manhattan.

“My bill was meant to be a lifeline for restaurants and bars facing extinction because of COVID-19, not an opportunity for these establishments to totally disregard open container laws and social distancing requirements," the senator said. "The failures of these establishments to follow the law will create a public health disaster, not to mention creating noise and quality of life issues."

Hoylman said he is thinking about withdrawing his legislation— which would have extended loosened liquor laws put in place during New York's State of Emergency — or revising it to only allow alcohol delivery, not pick-up.

Cuomo, who signed the executive order to allow to-go booze, also warned restaurants and bars over the weekend that violations could mean revoked liquor licenses or drawing back on reopening parts of the state.

New York has received 25,000 complaints of businesses violating reopening plans by allowing large gatherings or not enforcing social distancing and mask requirements, Cuomo said during a news briefing Sunday.

"This is a very serious situation and I want to make sure everybody knows the consequences here," Cuomo said.

Manhattan and the Hamptons had the most complaints, Cuomo said.

In the West Village, there were at least three dozen 311 complaints Friday and Saturday about social distancing, not wearing masks or businesses not complying with reopening rules in the zip code that spans most of the neighborhood, according to city data.

Photos and videos posted to social media show crowds of mask-less New Yorkers roaming with food and drinks in the neighborhood, in nearby St. Mark's Place in the East Village and on the sidewalks of the Upper East Side. A Patch analysis also found dozens of complaints coming out of the main commercial drags in Astoria in Queens.

Restaurant owners in Queens told Patch that they are doing their best to control customers, but that there is little they can do once people leave the restaurant and gather on nearby sidewalks or streets.

Mayor Bill de Blasio has said he would send more officers to nine bar-heavy neighborhoods — including the West Village, East Village, Upper East Side and Astoria — to make sure restaurants are following social-distancing rules. Though that plan, put in place two weeks ago, doesn't seem to have quelled the problem just yet.

Hoylman suggested sending out State Liquor Authority inspectors to Manhattan to assess the situation and enforce open container laws.

“Restaurants and bars need to get their act together," the senator said. "Public health is too important to get this wrong.”

Patch reporter Maya Kaufman contributed to this report.