Wisconsin judge blocks dining restrictions; Texas opens bars; NYC closes restaurants in ‘red zones’

This story has been updated to reflect a judge's ruling on Wisconsin's dining restrictions on Oct. 14.

With President Donald Trump’s coronavirus diagnosis early in the month and many in Trump’s inner circle coming down with the virus, the United States has been on edge about the disease.

While Trump is out of the hospital following treatment, he and his aides’ diagnoses were not the only spike in the country over the past month. Members of Congress have tested positive, forcing Congress to resume via video chat for now, and cities have reacted to cases accordingly.

In New York City, which was, at one point, the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic in the U.S., restrictions across approximately 20 ZIP codes in Queens and Brooklyn are facing harsher restrictions again. While the city may have been one of the last to reopen, with indoor dining at 25% starting on Sept. 30, there are outbreaks in these ZIP codes deemed “red zones” by Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Residents there now must go back into quarantine mode, meaning schools have closed and restaurants moved to takeout and delivery only.

If the percent-positive rate in these areas drops at the end of two weeks from Oct. 8, the restrictions will be lifted; as of now, they are around 5% while the rest of the state remains at 1.01% on average.

Related:Indiana and Florida lift coronavirus restrictions for restaurants

And, since this article was originally published, a Wisconsin judge blocked Democratic Gov. Tony Evers dining restrictions, allowing restaurants to continue to open. Gov. Evers had placed restrictions on indoor capacity early in Oct. to limit indoor dining to 25% capacity with tables of no more than 10 people. 

The Tavern League of Wisconsin, a lobbying group for over 5,000 bar owners in the state, sued the Gov. for the new restrictions.

It’s not all bad news for restaurants though: San Francisco officially reopened indoor dining at 25%, one of the first California counties to do so. Washington state increased table count and extended alcohol sales time, and Texas reopened bars.

See the latest on states regulations and what’s expected next.

This week’s new updates include Arizona, California, Iowa, New York, North Carolina, Maine, Texas, Washington and Wisconsin. The restrictions are as of Oct. 8, 2020.

Contact Holly at [email protected]

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