Governor Eases Limits On Catered Events

Governor Andrew Cuomo announced on Wednesday that the state will ease strict limits on the size of gatherings at private residences on May 3 — a relief to South Fork catering companies that said the restrictions were an existential threat to their businesses.

Caterers and local government officials have been pressuring the state to make an announcement about when the limits would be lifted so that they could start scheduling events with customers and begin processing mass gathering permits through town and village governments that are required to have larger gatherings during the summer season.

Many catering company owners have said their businesses were hit much harder in 2020 than restaurants and barely survived losing as much as 80 percent of their business. Not being able to sign agreements for weddings, parties and clambakes this far into 2021 was threatening their solvency, they said.

The new order will grant exemptions to the current limit of 10 people for indoor gatherings and 25 people at outdoor gatherings that had been imposed on all private residences as long as the gathering is being organized by a licensed catering company and has been issued a mass gathering or other local permit that ensures proper COVID-19 precautions are being followed.

The state had previously announced that commercial catering venues would be allowed to resume large events of up to 150 people starting next week.

The governor’s order on Wednesday also lifted the midnight curfew on bars and restaurants starting on May 17.

“We know the COVID positivity rate is a function of our behavior, and over the last year New Yorkers have remained disciplined and continued with the practices we know work to stop the spread of the virus,” the governor said in a statement released by the state on Wednesday. “Everything we’ve been doing is working — all the arrows are pointing in the right direction and now we’re able to increase economic activity even more. Lifting these restrictions for restaurants, bars and catering companies will allow these businesses that have been devastated by the pandemic to begin to recover as we return to a new normal in a post-pandemic world. To be clear: We will only be able to maintain this progress if everyone gets the COVID vaccine. It is the weapon that will win the war, and we need everyone to take it, otherwise we risk going backward.”