New York Bars to Stay Open One Hour Later

Owners of some late-night establishments in New York State are giving a little sarcastic “thanks” to Governor Andrew Cuomo for rolling back a curfew imposed in response to the COVID pandemic by an hour.

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Most bars do a majority of their business in the early morning hours, so allowing them to remain open another hour is a help, but only a small help.

Governor Cuomo April 14 announced the 11 p.m. curfew on bars and restaurants was being pushed back to midnight starting Monday, April 19 while caterers won’t have to clear people out until 1 a.m. instead of midnight.

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Other establishments like gyms, casinos and bowling alleys had the 11 p.m. curfew moved to midnight a couple weeks ago.

Restauranteurs and tavern owners, many backed by government officials like the Onondaga County Executive and Binghamton Mayor Richard David, have complained that they have not only complied, but have, in many cases, gone beyond guidelines in ensuring the safety of their clients while enduring huge financial losses from being forced to close early and limit capacity.

Syracuse area bars lost what could have been hundreds of thousands of dollars in revenue since they had to close during play or even before tip off when Syracuse was playing in the men’s NCAA basketball championship last month.

The Governor has also announced horse and auto racing tracks will be able to welcome spectators in the stands at 20% capacity starting April 22.