
New York City entered Phase 2 of its reopening process just over a week ago, after three months of an economic shutdown. Now city officials are gearing up for the next phase. The five boroughs are expected to hit that milestone on Mon., July 6, but officials warn that it likely will look different from the rest of the state.
New York's Phase 2 allowed outdoor service for bars and restaurants, plus the reopening of barbershops and hair salons. It also permitted retail stores to start letting people indoors with capacity limits, in-person religious services. and the reopening of some office buildings.
Phase 3 is an expansion what's already been re-opened; in the rest of New York, that's meant adding a limited number of indoor seating at bars and restaurants, plus the reopening of nail salons, tattoo parlors, and outdoor facilities like dog runs and basketball courts.
But WNYC's Danny Lewis reports that indoor dining may not be on the menu for the five boroughs just yet.
"Both Governor Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio have been clearly trying to manage expectations on this," Lewis told WNYC's Sean Carlson. "The mayor said yesterday that he wants to "go all-in" on outdoor dining beyond what we've seen in the last week. Meanwhile, the governor is pointing the finger at New York City residents for not following guidelines, like wearing masks and staying at least 6 feet apart outside bars and restaurants."
Cuomo says he will make a decision about indoor dining in New York City's Phase 3 on Wed., July 1.
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