New York enforces new coronavirus measures as mayor warns city faces ‘last chance’ to stop second wave

People line up outside testing a Covid-19 site in New York
AFP via Getty Images

New York has introduced new tougher coronavirus restrictions as its Mayor Bill de Blasio warned the city faced its "last chance" to stop a second wave.

Restaurants, bars and gyms must close by 10pm in the new clampdown, and people can only meet in groups of 10 or less.

Governor Andrew Cuomo said people will also be barred from hosting private gatherings with more than 10 people.

Mr Cuomo said the new restrictions, which come into force on Friday, are necessary because new coronavirus infections have been traced to those types of activities.

Businesses can reopen each morning.

"Bars, restaurants, gyms, house parties, that's where it's coming from, primarily," Mr Cuomo said.

Mr Cuomo spoke as rates of coronavirus infection continued to rise in New York and elsewhere.

He said 1,628 people were admitted to hospital across the state for Covid-19 on Tuesday and that 21 people died.

Mayor Mr de Blasio said the infection rate now stood at 2.52 per cent and he warned in a post on Twitter: “This is our LAST chance to stop a second wave.

“We can do it, but we have to act NOW.”

The new closing time applies to all establishments that are licensed by the State Liquor Authority, Mr Cuomo said.

Only carry-out service will be allowed after that, he said.

The new restrictions will have to be enforced by local governments, including by the police in New York City, Mr Cuomo said.

He said that, after 10pm: "If the lights are on and people are drinking, they get a summons."

Even without the early closing time, restaurateurs have complained that the restrictions make it difficult to stay in business.

But Mr Cuomo said further restrictions, including limiting restaurants to opening at 25% capacity across the state, may be necessary if Covid-19 numbers continue to rise.

Mr Cuomo's announcement came days after New Jersey governor Phil Murphy announced that bars and restaurants in his state would have to halt indoor dining at 10pm starting on Thursday.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in