New York City Orders All Movie Theaters to Close Due to Coronavirus Pandemic

As of this coming Tuesday, movie theaters, night clubs, theaters, and concert halls in New York City will all be forced to close their doors for the foreseeable future. New York mayor Bill de Blasio announced via his Twitter account Sunday night that he’d be signing an executive order Monday that is limiting all bars, restaurants, and cafes to take-out and delivery orders only, restricting dine-in orders in hopes of prohibiting the further spread of the coronavirus.

“Our lives are all changing in ways that were unimaginable just a week ago,” de Blasio tweets. “We are taking a series of actions that we never would have taken otherwise in an effort to save the lives of loved ones and our neighbors. Now it is time to take yet another drastic step.”

He adds, “The virus can spread rapidly through the close interactions New Yorkers have in restaurants, bars and places where we sit close together. We have to break that cycle. Tomorrow, I will sign an Executive Order limiting restaurants, bars and cafes to food take-out and delivery.”

In a subsequent tweet, de Blasio mentions to executive order will also prohibit any “nightclubs, movie theaters, small theater houses, and concert venues” from opening their doors. The mayor says the executive order goes into effect Tuesday, March 17th at 9:00 a.m. local time.

“This is not a decision I make lightly. These places are part of the heart and soul of our city. They are part of what it means to be a New Yorker. But our city is facing an unprecedented threat, and we must respond with a wartime mentality,” de Blasio concludes. “We will come through this, but until we do, we must make whatever sacrifices necessary to help our fellow New Yorkers.”

It’s unclear how long this executive order will be in place.