Cuomo asks the feds to bail out NYC restaurants after HE closed them

Governor Cuomo has been accused of ‘extortion’ by closing NYC restaurants then asking the federal government to bail them out. 

Cuomo last week ruled that indoor dining in New York City- which was only happening at a 25 percent capacity –  had to end suddenly to stop the spread of COVID-19. 

Manhattan has the highest number of restaurants per square mile of any other borough in New York City and the lowest COVID test positivity rate but was subject to the rule. 

Now, restaurant owners are only allowed to do outdoor dining but with frigid temperatures and snow on the ground, it is becoming impossible to lure customers. 

The state has also tightened the restrictions to mean outdoor structures have to have to open airflows, which shields diners from the elements even less. 

Cuomo’s only explanation for it is that the rate of transmission in New York is high and because New York City is the most densely populated area in the state, the risk of outbreak is highest.  

But NYC has the second lowest test positivity rate in the state. Hospitalizations in the city account for only 0.02 percent of the state total and they are coming down.

On Friday, Cuomo said a total shutdown – which many are fearing – is not inevitable. 

‘The last thing anybody wants is a shutdown. I believe we can stay open and we will stay open.

‘We need a new mantra: Slow the spread, stop the shutdown. Focus on that. 

‘There is no destiny here, destiny is what we make it. A shutdown is totally avoidable. I believe New Yorkers can slow the spread,’ he said.  

Now, many are asking what’s motivating Cuomo to keep the restaurants closed and some critics say he is holding them hostage to win a bigger state bailout from the federal government. 

On Friday, Cuomo enraged restaurant owners even more at his press conference by claiming he was doing ‘everything he could’ for them. 

‘I hope Washington provides relief to restaurants. We’re doing everything we can,’ he said.

Manhattan, which has the highest number of bars and restaurants per square mile than any other borough, has by far the lowest COVID test positivity rate at 2.7 percent. 

That is compared to 4.7 percent statewide – which is still among the lowest in the country. 

Now many are wondering what Cuomo and de Blasio’s motivations are for keeping the restaurants closed.  

An enormous snowstorm on Wednesday night closed outdoor dining temporarily.  

It was allowed to resume on Thursday but with temperatures in the 30s, there are few willing to brace the cold, despite the best efforts of restaurant owners to provide outdoor heaters. 

All bars and restaurants were told to stop service on March 16. 

They have not had any federal or state help since April, and restaurant owners are crying out for relief.

They are championing the CARES Act, which will give them specific relief, rather than lumping them in with other businesses – like retailers – who have been open for months.   

‘You have the coincidence of two facts. 

‘You have the CDC which issued warnings on indoor dining last week and then you have the particular situation of New York City, which is one of the dense locations in this country with crowding, and you have an increase in the rT rate, the rate of transmission, which to me has always been the one of the seminal factors in this whole conversation.

‘You can talk about positivity rate, you can talk about hospital capacity, but that rT rate, that is the bottom line. That’s how fast virus. And the rT rate going up in a dense environment is really a compounding problem,’ he said.

The rT rate, he says, is 1:3 compared to 1:1 earlier in the year. 

But the infection rate in New York City – like everywhere else in the state in the country – is increasing predominantly because of private gatherings in the home. 

Thanksgiving drove a large spike and Christmas and Hanukkah are expected to as well.