New York is temporarily
allowing indoor dining in orange cluster zones.
Restaurants in Port Chester's
orange zone haven't been able to offer indoor dining since November.
The state is now allowing
indoor and outdoor dining - with up to four people at a table.
It comes after a state supreme court judge ruled in favor of allowing
restaurants in Erie County to temporarily
operate under yellow zone status.
Restaurant Aqui Es Santa Fe
and others say outdoor dining just isn't an option due to the cold, and that they've essentially been closed all
this time.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo's office
made the changes to keep up with consistency, but says it disagrees with the
court's decision, adding that data from the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention shows indoor dining increases COVID-19 spread. However, last month
Cuomo said restaurants and bars contributed to about 1.4% of new cases of
COVID-19.
It's a small number compared to
family gatherings, which state data said accounted for 74%.
"I've been a staunch
supporter of what Gov. Cuomo did in the beginning and his science-first
approach, but the science didn't back closing our businesses and this set of
closures was so much harder on businesses than the first one," says Carlos
Santos, the owner of Aqui Es Santa Fe.
Gov. Cuomo's office says it
is reviewing the ruling.
The parties will have to go
back to court to determine if the injunction will become permanent.
The owner of Asi Es Colombia bakery and restaurant
on North Main Street says they've lost about 80% of their business. The owner says if things back
track to the way they were, with indoor dining banned, the owner will have to
shut his doors for good after being a Port Chester business for nearly two
decades. "I mean
if that happens, we'll have to pack and just leave because we can't take it
anymore," says Ruben Alzate.