Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis believes New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is “discriminating against New York City” by imposing stricter restrictions on indoor dining in the city than in other parts of the state.
“The real issue here is that he is treating different regions of the state differently,” said Malliotakis, RN.Y., on Saturday at the state governor’s “Fox & Friends Weekend” “He is discriminating against New York City” .
“If you go to Long Island, you know, they have 50% capacity. If you go to other parts of the state, they are operating at 50% capacity. Still, here in New York, he closed the entire industry, for now it will take two months and then he wants to reopen by 25%. “
CUOMO: NYC INDOOR DINING TO RETURN TO 25% CAPACITY ON VALENTINE’S DAY
The governor announced on Friday that the indoor dinner in New York City, which was suspended on December 14, could be resumed at 25% capacity if the state’s COVID-19 infection rate remains on its current trajectory.
“The restaurant industry is the lifeblood of New York City and the economic difficulties they faced at the hands of COVID are tragic,” Cuomo said at a news conference.
Malliotakis represents the state’s 11th congressional district, which includes Staten Island and South Brooklyn. The first-term congresswoman told Fox & Friends Weekend that she believes the governor’s restrictions will only increase cases in her district.
“What he is essentially doing is encouraging people to come together in their homes, where we know that the spread is taking place, where there are no safety or health protocols, there is no social distance or mask requirements, and the spread will continue there” said Malliotakis. “And I find that very unfortunate, both for health and for our economy.”
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Malliotakis also questioned why the governor decided to wait until February 14 before allowing restaurants to reopen. “The fact that he is making these restaurants wait another two weeks just to reach that 25% is brutal,” she said.
Cuomo said at Friday’s briefing that the two-week notice “gives restaurants ample notice to start preparing for the reopening”.