A long winter has set in for high-risk New Yorkers and others who rely on outdoor dining, after the City forced restaurants to tear down their roadside dining sheds for the first time since 2020.
Under new rules that went into effect this winter, curbside dining is banned from December through March. The number of restaurants offering outdoor seating plummeted as a result of burdens posed by the new system.
Many New Yorkers were sad to see the sheds go. But besides business owners, the biggest repercussions have been felt by people who can’t dine indoors due to the ongoing risk of COVID-19—the original purpose of the outdoor dining program, but one largely forgotten by policy makers.
"It's so isolating, and it’s so lonely, and it’s so frustrating," said Jennifer Pozner, an author from Brooklyn who only eats outdoors due to health concerns.