New York Lifts Statewide COVID Curfew for Indoor Dining

      Restaurants across New York state can once again stay open past midnight, starting tonight, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said last month when he announced the end of indoor dining’s coronavirus curfew.

      The midnight pandemic curfew for outdoor dining ended two weeks ago in New York City.

      Restaurateurs have been looking forward to the later hours as they try to recover from the shutdowns and other restrictions that the state government imposed on businesses throughout the pandemic.

      “The lifting of the curfew is critically important [for restaurants to survive and thrive.],” the NYC Hospitality Alliance's executive director, Andrew Rigie, said earlier this month.

       "Like every other milestone of our reopening, the end of curfew for indoor dining is the result of New Yorkers banding together, practicing safety precautions and getting vaccinated, so we can defeat the virus and work our way towards a new normal," Gov. Cuomo said.

"Our reopening approach has always been data-based and if we want to stay on our current trajectory, we need to remain vigilant across the board - especially when it comes to indoor activities. As always, we will continue to work with our local partners to make sure venues are following basic safety guidelines."