New York is lifting its 11 p.m. curfew for casinos and certain other businesses as part of an ongoing plan to gradually relax Covid-related restrictions around the state.
In addition to casinos, movie theaters, bowling alleys, billiard halls and fitness centers will move to full hours on April 5, according to an announcement by Governor Andrew Cuomo’s office.
New York has one of the highest rates of new coronavirus cases per person of any state, and cases and deaths aren’t declining as quickly as in the nation as a whole, according to federal and Johns Hopkins University data.
But as a growing number of New Yorkers get vaccinated, “We are reaching the light at the end of the tunnel,” the governor said.
Approximately 4.7 million of the state’s 19 million residents have received at least one vaccine dose, and another 2.4 million have been fully vaccinated, according to state statistics cited by the Associated Press.
The latest relaxation doesn’t include bars and restaurants, however. They will remain under curfew, the wire service said, and catered events still have to shut their doors by midnight.
“Restaurants are struggling to survive, so it’s disappointing, because lifting the curfew is critically important to help many of them generate much-needed revenue, while allowing struggling workers to earn more money and accommodate customers,” said Andrew Rigie, executive director of the NYC Hospitality Alliance, a trade group representing the sector.
Gyms have been reopening, with limited capacity and mask requirements, since late summer. But it was only earlier this month that the state included indoor fitness classes, which remain limited, at least for now, to 33 percent capacity.
