#NYC business owners seek clarity on vague future of indoor dining reopening

ALBANY — Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s administration is refusing to give specific guidelines for when indoor dining can resume in New York City, leaving industry representatives and business owners frustrated by the lack of response.

A rep for Cuomo spoke only in generalities Wednesday when asked what the plan was to help the city’s struggling dining industry get back inside during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic — such as a specific benchmark in the number of cases.

“We are looking to see what’s happening in other states. We are looking at our own numbers and will see what’s going on in other states before we make any other decisions on other areas that have not been reopened yet,” Cuomo senior advisor Rich Azzopardi told The Post Wednesday.

But that is too vague an answer for some business owners in the city, which is being forced by state officials to hold only outdoor dining, while the rest of the state has already been approved for indoor service.

The lack of clarity comes as many eateries are fighting to meet monthly rent obligations, in a city that saw an overall 18 percent unemployment rate in July.

“Tomorrow is August 6th. It’s been one month since indoor dining in New York City was postponed. Yet, we’ve met metrics allowing restaurants throughout the rest of the state to reopen indoors and our government leaders have not provided any guidance to small businesses that are teetering on the edge of extinction,” Andrew Rigie, executive director of the NYC Hospitality Alliance told The Post in a phone interview.

“The whole situation is absolutely devastating.“

Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio announced July 1 that the five boroughs would not qualify for indoor dining privileges slated for July 6 — a stipulation typically afforded under the Empire State’s phased reopening plan once regions hit Phase 3.

But the Democrats decided the Big Apple wasn’t ready, and the governor in particular slammed the city’s weak enforcement on social distancing offenses.

“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 at the time.

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

But since then the infection rate in the five boroughs have hovered at around one percent, with new case counts averaging around 300 daily.

Not to mention, all nine out of New York’s ten economic reopening regions have been approved for indoor eating since at least last month — confusing officials and business owners alike.

“The state should issue guidance the way they do in the other counties where we’ve seen indoor dining in other parts of the state. We should be able to do the same thing in the city,” state Sen. Diane Savino (D-Staten Island/Brooklyn) griped.

“It’s a real problem when you represent a border community. People say to me: ‘I don’t understand why I can’t eat indoors in this restaurant. I’m in the Bronx and I can go across the street in Westchester and eat indoor in other places?’ Is there something magic in the air over there?”

Susan Povich, co-founder of seafood restaurant Red Hook Lobster Pound, has had to close her Midtown location temporarily in addition to other pop-up locations.

“I don’t want to reopen until customers have the desire to come inside,” she said.

“But the transmission rate currently in New York City is very low and has been for several weeks. So based on the transmission rate, I would feel comfortable reopening.”

Right now she’s serving customers outdoors at her flagship restaurant in Brooklyn and business is up, for now.

“However, I’m very concerned about my sales in November, December and January. I could fall off a cliff without indoor dining. We have exceeded Phase 4, so my question is what’s Phase 5?”

Sen. Savino said all business owners seek is a better explanation.

“What they want is just consistency — that’s what’s driving people crazy. Everyone understands the governor wants to keep us safe, but again they ask: why can I eat indoors in Nassau [County] but not in Queens?”

Cuomo’s spokesman later sent the Post a second statement, which also lacked specifics.

“It’s a fact that indoor bars and restaurants in dense areas have been responsible for many of the spikes in other states that were both avoidable and fueled by reckless behavior. After the hell we lived through, we are doing everything in our power to not go back and are continuing to monitor what’s happening around the country and consult with public health experts — I suggest those pushing for this do the same,” Azzopardi said.

Meanwhile, de Blasio told reporters Wednesday morning his city is not quite ready to reopen on a number of fronts.

“We’re not ready on indoor dining. We’re not ready on gyms. We’re not ready on malls,” he said during his daily remote briefing.

“No one wants to risk that especially…when we’re about to see a huge uptick in activity after Labor Day. There’s real concern about that.”

“Is it weeks or is it months? There’s not a specific timeline. I can say that much with assurance. I don’t think we’re talking about the next few weeks by any stretch. I think it’s a post Labor Day reality from my point of view to assess it after we’ve seen what happens after Labor Day,” he speculated.