Cuomo suspending curfew for gyms, casinos and other businesses, but not restaurants

Albany, NY – The 11:00 pm curfew for certain New York businesses will end on April 5, Governor Andrew Cuomo said today.

As of that date, casinos, billiard rooms, cinemas, bowling alleys, gyms and fitness centers will no longer be required to close at 11 pm. The curfew will continue to be in effect at 11 pm for bars and restaurants.

Catering events, such as weddings and other celebrations, are also expected to end at midnight.

Cuomo said the state is reviewing the curfew for bars, restaurants and parties. He plans to make another announcement on the subject in April.

Bars and restaurants across the state, including downtown New York, have complained about mandatory closing times since Cuomo implemented them months ago.

Local bars and restaurants have been working with Onondaga County executive Ryan McMahon to suspend or extend the curfew, especially for Syracuse University’s basketball game this Friday. The game only starts at 9:40 pm, which means that customers who go out to watch a bar need to leave before the game is even over.

SEE MORE INFORMATION: Watching Friday’s Syracuse game at a bar? You probably need to go out at break

McMahon asked the state for a curfew at 1 am, citing Onondaga County’s low positive test rate for Covid.

Companies that rely on traffic from nighttime customers say they are suffering.

Some are trying to reopen. Al’s Wine & Whiskey Lounge in Armory Square and Singers Karaoke Club in Solvay announced last week that they plan to reopen for the first time since November.

And the owner of Looker’s, a strip club on North Salina Street in Syracuse, is talking to a lawyer about a possible class action on the curfew.

Also today:

• Cuomo said the remaining yellow zones of Covid in New York will be eliminated on Monday. Four of the remaining five zones are in New York City and the fifth is in the Newburgh and New Windsor area in the Hudson Valley.
• Indoor gym classes can be resumed across the state from March 22, said Cuomo. Classes are limited to 33% of their maximum capacity. Gym classes resumed in some parts of New York during the summer, including Onondaga County, but today’s announcement applies everywhere.

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