NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- Restaurants in oranges zones will be allowed to resume indoor dining following a court decision that temporarily permitted dozens of eateries in upstate New York to do so, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Thursday.
A judge on Wednesday granted a group of orange-zone restaurants in Erie County an injunction allowing them to reopen their indoor dining spaces.
In a statement released Thursday afternoon, New York's counsel to the governor, Kumiki Gibson, said the state would allow all orange-zone restaurants to operate under yellow-zone rules — which permit indoor dining — in light of the decision, "to ensure uniformity and fairness."
"We disagree with the court's decision and its impact on public health, as federal [Centers for Disease Control] data clearly demonstrates indoor dining increases COVID-19 spread," Gibson wrote. "From the start of this pandemic, the state has acted based on facts and the advice of public health experts, and we will continue that approach."
New York in the process of reviewing the judge's decision, Gibson noted, an indication that officials could ultimately reinstate restrictions.
New York state currently has seven orange zones, including one on Staten Island and one in Westchester County, its website shows. Restaurants in yellow zones are allowed to offer indoor and outdoor dining, with four people maximum per table.
The state on Thursday reported 202 new COVID-19-related fatalities, pushing its death toll to 32,379, Cuomo said in a release.
Seven of the 202 New Yorkers who died lived in the Bronx; 23 lived in Brooklyn; five lived in Manhattan; four lived in Nassau County; two lived in Orange County; 21 lived in Queens; three lived on Staten Island; two lived in Rockland County; 22 lived in Suffolk County and 12 lived in Westchester County.
As of Wednesday, 8,823 New Yorkers were hospitalized with COVID-19, down by 106 from Tuesday, he said. One thousand, five hundred and thirty-six of the 8,823 patients were in intensive care, and 956 were on ventilators.
Of the 212,589 COVID-19 test results that came back in New York on Wednesday, 14,661, or 6.42 percent, were positive.
"New York is pushing forward to conduct more tests, add to hospital beds and make it easier to get the COVID-19 vaccine across the state, but we need New Yorkers to stay vigilant and take safety precautions as the virus is still spreading," Cuomo said in a statement.
"We're moving through a difficult period in our history, and I know COVID fatigue has set in and New Yorkers crave normalcy, but we will get through this together and come out on the other side," he added.
Breakdowns of COVID-19 statistics by region and New York City borough are below:
