It's Dumb That Bars and Restaurants Are Still Under a 11 pm Curfe

Businesses continue to return to normal around the Capital Region, but for some reason, not bars and restaurants.

Governor Cuomo announced that some businesses would have their 11 pm curfew lifted starting April 5th. After April 5th, casinos, pool halls, movie theaters, bowling alleys, gyms, and fitness centers will no longer be required to close at 11 p.m. That's great news, but what about bars and restaurants? No, they still have to close at 11 pm.

How does that make sense? Does the coronavirus suddenly become more contagious or more prevalent after 11 pm, but just in bars and restaurants? If the bars and restaurants are following other guidelines why make them close at 11 pm?

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So, a crowded gym with multiple people sharing workout equipment, sweating all over and huffing and puffing, breathing hard during a workout can be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. However, if I want to go to a late dinner or go out for a drink at 11:30 pm I can't. At a restaurant or bar, I'll be sitting down, socially distancing, and not sharing anything.

I'm glad some businesses are continuing to reopen, but this deliberate slight to restaurants and bars is really weird to me. It reminds me of when axe throwing establishments were shut down because you couldn't serve food and beverages and have customers get up to throw an axe, but it was perfectly okay for a bowling alley to do the exact same thing. How did that make sense? It was quickly corrected, but for a couple of weeks, it really threw a wrench into the axe throwing business.

It just seems so random to leave bars and restaurants out of the lifted curfew. Governor Cuomo did say that he would be making another announcement in early April that might include new guidelines for restaurants and bars.