New York suspends hundreds of liquor licenses during pandemic

NEW YORK - New York authorities announced Tuesday that they had suspended 36 additional establishments' liquor licenses for violating coronavirus-related regulations.  That brings the total to 279 since a public health emergency went into effect earlier this year.

Governor Cuomo called the violation "egregious", including seven that continued to operate in so-called micro-cluster zones where bars were ordered to close.

One of those is Mac's Public House on Staten Island which was raided last weekend after repeatedly refusing to close.
 
In total, 1,867 charges have been filed against bars and restaurants for violating rules put in place to help stop the spread of the coronavirus.

Businesses found in violation of COVID-19 regulations face fines up to $10,000 per violation, while more serious violations can result in the immediate suspension of a bar or restaurant's liquor license.
    
"Some establishments have continued to ignore the rules, putting their customers, as well as their community as a whole, at risk," Governor Cuomo said in a statement. "If we let our guard down and ignore basic public health rules, this winter could be one of the darkest periods of this pandemic and we simply cannot let that happen."    

The State Liquor Authority says it continues enforcement efforts statewide, with a specific focus on areas with dramatic increases in COVID-19 cases, including state-designated micro-cluster zones.

23 of the most recent license suspensions took place in New York City.  Five more were on Long Island and the rest of the state saw 8 more.

"Some establishments have continued to ignore the rules, putting their customers, as well as their community as a whole, at risk," Governor Andrew Cuomo said in a statement. "If we let our guard down and ignore basic public health rules, this winter could be one of the darkest periods of this pandemic and we simply cannot let that happen."
    
The State Liquor Authority says it continues enforcement efforts statewide, with a specific focus on areas with dramatic increases in COVID-19 cases, including state-designated micro-cluster zones.
    
23 of the most recent license suspensions took place in New York City.  5 more were on Long Island and the rest of the state saw 8 more.
  
FULL LIST OF LATEST SUSPENSIONS

The pandemic has been brutal for the bar and restaurant industry in New York City.  The NYC Hospitality Alliance estimates that thousands of establishments have permanently closed due to forced closures and limited guests since reopening.

More than 300,000 people worked in the city's restaurants and bars before the pandemic, according to the group's executive director Andrew Rigie. That number plummeted to about 90,000 in April after the first shutdown.

"Since then, with outdoor dining and limited indoor dining we've hired back about 100,000 people, meaning there's still somewhere about 130,000 people out of work," Rigie said. "And if we get shut down again, what's going to happen to those 100,000 jobs on top of that 130,000 that are still gone?"