The state of emergency in New York will end on Thursday, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo said on Wednesday. And with that, the freedom restaurants and bars had to deliver and sell alcoholic take-away beverages disappears.
The official end of the state of emergency comes just over a week after Mr Cuomo eased most of the state’s remaining restrictions, welcome signs that the state is steadily returning to normal after more than 53,000 virus-related deaths. Suddenly stopping the freer selling of alcohol can be a boon to liquor stores as it amazes the bars and restaurants that have relied on the business they generated to weather the pandemic.
“Legislators have failed to codify the ability of restaurants to offer take-away alcohol,” the New York State Liquor Authority said in an emailed statement, referring to take-away liquor extension laws that were state lawmakers failed to respond before the end of their session this month. “With the state’s declaration of emergency expiring Thursday, all pandemic-related suspensions and instructions, including privileges that allow bars, restaurants, and manufacturers to sell take-away drinks, will end after June 24.”
(Bill Crowley, a spokesman for the agency, noted that bars and restaurants could continue to deliver and sell take-away beer, just as they did before the pandemic.)
The Distilled Spirits Council, a trade association promoting the sale of take-away alcohol, said 15 states had passed laws to make them permanent and that 12 had extended the deadline for such sales.
Lisa Hawkins, a council official, expressed dismay that New York had closed the practice. “It is shocking and utterly disappointing that this important source of revenue for New York’s hospitality industry is about to dry up,” she said in an email.
Andrew Rigie, the executive director of the New York City Hospitality Alliance, an association that represents restaurants, bars, and nightclubs, said many owners thought that take-away alcohol would be allowed at least until July 5, when the last in one A number of extensions to the free sale authorization have expired.
Customers who have become used to the convenience of takeaway tequila, daiquiris and walkaway wine may also be surprised, Mr Rigie said in an interview. “It’s a shame that state lawmakers have failed to continue to support local restaurants and continue to offer very popular politics to New Yorkers,” he said.
But with restaurants and bars back to full capacity and more than 70 percent of adults in the state having received at least one dose of a vaccine, some New York restaurateurs hailed the change, which they hope will continue to motivate customers to spend time and money on site.
“I want people to come in now, order food and enjoy the venue,” said Michael Trenk, managing partner of Baylander Steel Beach Bar and Restaurant, which is located on a decommissioned aircraft carrier docked at West Harlem Piers. “I don’t want you to just come in, buy a drink and leave.”
Mr Cuomo declared a state of emergency on March 7, 2020 as New York City became one of the hardest hit places in the world. In mid-March, when he restricted restaurants and bars to take-away and delivery, the New York State Liquor Authority granted “new privileges outside of the store”, ie drinks to take away.
Virus numbers in the city declined by the fall, but the state saw a new surge in cases around the holidays and was still reporting a high rate of new cases until relatively recently. Buffalo and other cities have also struggled to contain outbreaks. Vaccinations have helped radically increase the state’s case numbers.
At a press conference on Wednesday, Mr. Cuomo said, “The emergency is over. It’s a new chapter. “
He said federal guidelines advising people to continue wearing masks in many situations when not vaccinated and on public transportation and in facilities such as homeless shelters, even if vaccinated, would remain in place, and that state and local health authorities would be able to ensure that the precautions are followed. He urged New Yorkers to remain “cautious and vigilant” about the virus, noting that many still needed vaccination, especially young people.
