New York to extend curfew to 11 p.m. for bars, restaurants as COVID cases decline.

New York is extending the curfew for bars and restaurants to 11 p.m. beginning Sunday, allowing establishments to stay open another hour on Valentine's Day and beyond, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Friday.

The move came after a federal judge on Wednesday upheld the current 10 p.m. curfew for bars and restaurants, citing the continued threat of COVID-19 and Cuomo's broad authority to require early closures to protect public health.

Cuomo on Friday asserted the curfew could be extended given the continued decline in hospitalization and infection rates throughout New York.

The statewide seven-day average COVID-19 test positivity rate is 4.04%, the lowest since Nov. 30, Cuomo said, adding the rate has seen 35 consecutive days of decline.

Read more: https://www.uticaod.com/story/news/coronavirus/2021/02/12/ny-extend-curfew-11-p-m-bars-restaurants-amid-covid/6738375002/
(Utica Observer-Dispatch)