Outdoor dining to be permitted as early as next week in Orange County

Outdoor dining is permitted to reopen in New York’s Phase 2 regions, Gov. Cuomo announced Wednesday, June 3.

The state provided the following guidelines for restaurants opening up their outdoor seating:

- Outdoor tables must be spaced six feet apart.

- All staff must wear face coverings.

- Customers must wear face coverings when not seated.

Orange County is slated to enter Phase Two Tuesday (June 9) or Wednesday of next week, said Orange County Executive Steve Neuhaus.

He does hope to get approval to enter Phase Two sooner; Neuhaus and the Orange County Tavern and Restaurant Association have been advocating for outdoor dining.

“We’ve been rallying the troops,” said Neuhaus. “We believe that if people can go to supermarkets and big box stores and wear masks going safely go in and out, they can certainly do dining.”

Stay tuned for an upcoming story this week on local restaurants’ reopening plans.

- Molly Colgan