#Gov. Cuomo blames de Blasio for indoor dining halt, lack of social distancing

Gov. Andrew Cuomo put the blame squarely on Mayor Bill de Blasio Wednesday for not ensuring compliance with social distancing and mask-wearing rules as he announced that indoor dining in the Big Apple won’t happen “until the facts change.”

Cuomo, speaking during a press briefing in Manhattan, did not mention the mayor by name but said said “citizen compliance” when it comes to stopping the spread of coronavirus “is slipping” and “local government” is not enforcing compliance.

“Look at pictures, look at any street in Manhattan, go to the East Village, go to the West Side, go to Brooklyn, go to Queens, go to The Bronx,” Cuomo said, referring to non-socially distant gatherings of largely mask-less Big Apple residents.

“I get why the compliance is slipping, but it is a very real problem,” Cuomo said, noting, “government is supposed to be enforcing compliance, and that is not happening to a sufficient basis.”

The governor added, “If you have citizen compliance dropping and you don’t have local governments enforcing, then you’re going to see the virus go up.”

In direct response to the matter, New York state is going to create its own enforcement capacity to supplement the local government’s enforcement, Cuomo said.

Cuomo announced that indoor dining in the city — which would have been permitted when the Big Apple enters Phase Three of the state’s four-phase reopening plan on Monday — will be postponed, roughly two hours after de Blasio made the same announcement at his own press briefing.

But Cuomo, in an apparent slap at de Blasio, said local governments “don’t have any legal authority to determine the opening, reopening of schools, businesses, restaurants, offices.”

The “main job” of local government when it comes to the coronavirus crisis is “testing, tracing, and enforcement of compliance,” Cuomo said.

Indoor dining in the Big Apple will “be postponed until the facts change and it is prudent to open,” said Cuomo as he called it a “New York City-only modification” on Phase Three.

“It’s a problem that is more pronounced in New York City,” he said.

Cuomo continued, “We need to see better compliance by citizens or local governments do a better job on compliance and we would like to see the viral spread across the nation at least stabilizing” before he would allow indoor dining to resume to the city.

“We have to reduce the concentration in gatherings of people,” Cuomo said, explaining “citizens have to do it” and “establishments can help,” but “local government has to step up and do their job.”

Meanwhile, Cuomo also said that air conditioning filtration systems meant to block coronavirus particles “could be a benefit” for businesses.

“Air conditioning filters will not be the be all, end all, but they might be beneficial and if they might be beneficial, why not do it?”

Cuomo announced Monday “large malls” in New York won’t be allowed to reopen until they install special air-infiltration systems to help block virus particles.