Crowds gather in Manhattan outside Comedy Cellar. Management of the club told Eater it turned many people away due to a reduced capacity mandate. | Gary He/Eater
The dining scenes of America’s three largest cities are effectively shut down
As the number of cases of the novel coronavirus continue to grow, states and municipalities across the U.S. are taking drastic measures to enforce social distancing — a step that’s imperative to slowing the virus’s spread — from mandatory closures to curfews and reduced capacities.
Late Sunday night, the mayors of New York and Los Angeles ordered all restaurants and bars in their respective cities effectively closed. Mayor Bill De Blasio announced that all bars and restaurants in New York City must shutter starting Tuesday for a to-be-determined period of time. Delivery and takeout will be allowed, but theaters, concert venues, and nightclubs must close completely. The mayor of Los Angeles also announced the closure of all bars and restaurants, with exceptions for takeout and delivery, until March 31.
The governors of Massachusetts, Illinois and Ohio have taken the most dramatic state-wide steps so far, ordering all bars and restaurants closed. In Ohio, restaurants and bars in the state will be required to close dining rooms effective at 9 p.m. on March 15; Illinois’s mandatory closures begin March 16; and the Massachusetts shut down starts on March 17. Carryout and delivery will continue to be permitted in all three states.
Washington D.C.’s mayor ordered licensed nightclubs to shut down operations and asked all eating and drinking establishments to eliminate bar seating while the city works to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus. The city of Hoboken closed all bars and forced restaurants to transition to takeout-only, while enacting a 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew. Finally, in Michigan, all casinos are temporarily closed.
Scores of restaurants have voluntarily closed across the country, with more closing by the hour. Nationally, large restaurant groups Momofuku and José Andrés have closed all of their restaurants in New York and D.C. Momofuku also shuttered its Los Angeles restaurants, while some of Andrés’s are being converted to takeout-only “community kitchens.” Blue Bottle has also announced that it’s closing all of its domestic cafes.
Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, said Sunday in an appearance on CNN that he wouldn’t rule out supporting a national lockdown on the country’s restaurants as a strategy to prevent wider spread. Spain and France closed down all restaurant and bar activities over the weekend to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus, the Republic of Ireland closed down pubs.
The move towards closures highlights the importance of social distancing in fighting the global pandemic. By reducing contact and increasing distance between individuals, people can reduce the rate of transmission of the virus. If countries don’t succeed in “flattening the curve” (reducing the number of patients requiring treatment at a given time), the disease threatens to overwhelm hospitals with patients.
• Top Infectious Disease Expert Doesn’t Rule Out Supporting Temporary National Lockdown to Combat Coronavirus [CNN]
• Ohio Governor Orders All Bars and Restaurants Be Shut Down Amid Coronavirus Pandemic [WEWS News]
• All Coronavirus Coverage [E]
This post will be updated as new information becomes available.
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