What to Know
- The entire state of New York is now in Phase IV, the final step of Gov. Andrew Cuomo's reopening; New York City has taken a modified approach to the last two phases as it relates to indoor activities
- Both Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio have opted cautiously to protect hard-earned progress; at the same time, both are concerned slipping compliance locally may compound the problem of out-of-state travel
- 31 states are now on the tri-state quarantine list; people coming to the region from those states, which are in the midst of viral outbreaks, must self-isolate for 14 days
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who’s voiced concern about young people congregating in bars, said Tuesday that the state's liquor authority suspended the licenses of four bars and restaurants in Queens and Suffolk County.
The four establishments — Astoria's Brik Bar and M.I.A. Lounge, Maspeth Pizza House, and Secrets Gentlemen's Club in Deer Park — all had repeat violations against them, some of which were more extreme than simply serving beers to a few too many people standing around.
The wildest offender was Secrets Gentlemen's Club, where an undercover inspection revealed patrons and employees inside were not wearing face coverings. That included the dancers, who were performing close together, using the same poles and giving lap dances — all of which went against the governor's executive order and health guidelines. The owner claimed that the actions must have taken place after he left, despite already being caught on video buying drinks for the undercover agents and bragging about getting away with the violations.
Maspeth Pizza House had violations for serving alcohol to patrons who had gathered outside, and investigators observed servers not wearing facial coverings. Other patrons were seen smoking hookah, a violation of the business' license. On two occasions, the unlawful service continued after the 11 p.m. curfew, as customers were hanging out, drinking and dancing.
Both Brik Bar and M.I.A. were cited for serving alcohol to large crowds who were not eating, sometimes after the executive order's mandated curfew for establishments. Brik Bar was said to be one of the worst offenders along Steinway Street, where large crowds had regularly been gathering for drinking and partying. The suspension comes just one day after the bar's outdoor dining privileges had been revoked, only being allowed to open for takeout on Tuesday.
The owners of Brik Bar and M.I.A. declined to speak with NBC New York, but earlier in the week, Brik Bar's owner said the crackdown had gone too far, and that the state was "making an example out of us."
Late Tuesday night, there was a large police presence outside the M.I.A. bar, as one witness said the sheriff's office was seen searching the premises and a car outside, and said one person appeared to have been put into custody.
Another Steinway Street bar, Fusion Lounge, was going to have its license suspended as well for similar reasons. However, after learning that the establishment was already operating under an expired liquor license, the state liquor authority ensured that it would not be able to reopen by not allowing the license to be renewed.
Since March, the state has suspended 27 licenses and brought 410 charges against establishments, who must follow social distancing and face covering rules on top of Cuomo’s requirement — announced last Thursday — to only serve alcohol to people who order and eat food.
Cuomo said his administration will close restaurants and bars with three violations, while “egregious” violations can result in the immediate loss of a liquor license or closure.
“That is a very serious situation, that means they can’t operate,” Cuomo said. “I’m sorry it’s come to this. But it’s a dangerous situation.”
Cuomo repeated his claim Tuesday that New York never “opened outside drinking.” Still, the state’s previous guidance allowed consumption of “food and/or beverage” on a licensee’s premises in outdoors, open-air areas while seated at tables six feet apart.
Cuomo’s senior adviser Richard Azzopardi said the state has reined in the rules because of reports of individuals standing outside restaurants and bars and engaging in “mask-less, non-socially distanced outdoor drinking.”
“That clearly wasn’t the intent and is why the rules had to be tightened,” he said.
Young crowds at bars and restaurants is one of two key threats to New York's progress in the coronavirus war, the governor says. The other is out-of-state travel. A total of 31 states is now on the tri-state quarantine list as COVID continues to surge virtually unabated across the country.
The newcomers added Tuesday are Alaska, Delaware, Indiana, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, Nebraska, Virginia, and Washington. Minnesota came off the list this week, no longer meeting the hotspot threshold. It could return just as easily though; Delaware only spent a week off the list before its numbers rose again.
Cuomo, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy and Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont jointly implemented the restricted travel list last month in an effort to ward off local COVID resurgence. It applies to states that exceed 10 percent daily test positivity rates or 10 new cases per 100,000 residents over a seven-day rolling period.
Apart from the new additions, the other states on the quarantine list currently include Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, New Mexico, Nevada, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah and Wisconsin.
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July 22, 2020 at 05:02PM
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Four Queens, LI Establishments Get Liquor Licenses Suspended Due to COVID Violations - NBC New York
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