Gov. Cuomo slammed New York’s finest Saturday for not taking action against bars and restaurants that are ignoring coronavirus safety rules.
The governor said 27 Manhattan establishments got violations overnight out of a total 41 statewide.
“We need the NYPD to step up and do enforcement,” Cuomo said during a Saturday conference call with reporters.
The state Liquor Authority also suspended the licenses of seven bars and restaurants — three in Manhattan; three in Queens; and one on Staten Island, the governor said.
Inspectors found that one of the establishments, Shinsen, which is supposed to be a Japanese restaurant on the Bowery in Chinatown, was hosting a booze-fueled event Thursday night with topless women who were giving lap dances to patrons who paid a $40 cover charge, according to a SLA hearing held Friday.
“I am outraged that this licensee has chosen to change his licensed premise into a strip club at best or, in fact, a prostitution ring,” said SLA Commissioner Lily Fan. “This is completely ridiculous.”
Representatives of Shinsen did not immediately return a request for comment.
The NYPD did not respond to a request for comment about Cuomo’s criticism.
The governor has cracked down on bars and restaurants that aren’t following social distancing, mask wearing and other rules, giving them a “three strikes and you’re closed” mandate.
Cuomo said there had been a record number of coronavirus tests yesterday in New York — 82,737 — with 753 people testing positive or 0.91 percent.
There were four COVID-19 deaths Friday and 581 people in the hospital with the bug.
The accounting came on the five-month anniversary of New York’s first COVID-19 case.