EATING and drinking indoors will once again be barred in New York City restaurants, the city’s governor Andrew Cuomo has revealed.
The move comes as officials try to halt the escalation of a second wave of the coronavirus and avoid a broader shutdown.
The decision is a crushing blow to the city’s struggling restaurant industry.
Cuomo acknowledged the hardship his decision was likely to cause and once more called on federal lawmakers to provide relief to the hospitality industry.
Congressional leaders have so far failed to reach an agreement on a new economic stimulus package.
Cuomo has warned that an anticipated surge in cases this winter threatens to overwhelm the medical system.
Over the last month, while preparations have begun to distribute the first doses of a vaccine, virus-related hospitalisations in the state have more than tripled.