Mayor candidate Andrew Yang wants the Big Apple to become a nightlife capital again.
Yang said on Tuesday that the state government should remove such restrictive rules that are preventing the reopening of bars and eateries – preventing the city’s economic recovery from the coronovirus epidemic.
“Bars and restaurants have been going through this phase for the past one year, but they still remain a hindrance to redundant pandemic regulations,” Yang told The Post.
“We need to stop getting in the way of policies that will help thousands of hospitality workers and owners, and take up our entire policies in the process.”
Yang wants the state to grant temporary liquor licenses to eateries and pubs in New York City, which are available everywhere in the state.
He cited a report from last week that under current law, new or revitalized restaurants and pubs outside New York City can obtain a temporary liquor permit within 30 days, while the state liquor authority requests an applicant for a full license Reviews – a process that can take anywhere from four to six months.
Yet city establishments are not eligible for temporary liquor licenses under state law. Andrew Cuomo proposed an amendment to the law to allow temporary booze permits for the city’s eateries and bars, but lawmakers refused to include the measure in the recently approved state budget.
Yang is going to the Mermaid Inn in East Village – the restaurant depicted in The Post – which is seeking to reopen, but cannot obtain a liquor permit under current law.
Yang also wants bars and restaurants to order food without serving alcoholic beverages to customers, something that is under government control. Andrew Cuomo’s emergency executive orders have been imposed during the outbreak of COVID-19.
He also wants the city of Albany to allow patrons to sit at once, currently prohibited under another rule imposed during the epidemic. Many pubs place tables right in front of bar counters to get around the edit.
In addition, Yang wants the state to abolish the “arbitrary closing curfew” and allow bars and restaurants to remain open until at least 2 pm. The curfew is now midnight.
He also supports making the sale of liquor from eateries permanent.
Yang cited a state audit that estimated the city’s eateries to be close to 6,00,000 to 12,000 with good sanctions imposed during the epidemic.
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