Restaurants and cafes can keep their outdoor seating in New York during the coronavirus pandemic

(Patria) - The City of New York has decided that restaurants and cafes can keep their outdoor seating open during the coronavirus pandemic.

Due to restrictions on indoor gatherings, the city approved the opening of outdoor seating for numerous restaurants at that time, who would have gone out of business without them, writes Voice of America.

After the pandemic ended, the question arose what would happen to these establishments, in a city where they previously had difficulty obtaining permits.

This month, New York decided that the pandemic novelty will become a permanent part of the city's landscape.

Restaurants will be able to set up outdoor seating and other facilities on "city street edges" from April to November each year. From November to April, everything must be removed from the streets.

The new regulation also allowed for sidewalk seating in many more places in the city than before. Sidewalk seating can remain open year-round. Restaurateurs are satisfied with this.

However, not everyone is thrilled with the new regulations. Some New Yorkers say that outdoor seating is no longer necessary, that it takes up a lot of space, that noise comes from it, and that it leads to traffic jams.

Also, some of these establishments are dilapidated and abandoned.

New York still needs to make decisions regarding permit fees and facility design. Full implementation of the rules begins in November 2024.