Close to two-thirds of restaurant owners in the state of New York said they could be out of business by the end of 2020, a new survey released last week has found.
The poll, conducted by the New York State Restaurant Association, questioned more than 1,000 restaurant owners across the state, according to outlet Just The News.
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Around 63% of respondents replied they would likely shut down by the end of the year, with 36% saying they expected to be operating in January.
Since March, New York has been under a strict lockdown due to to the coronavirus pandemic, which has taken a severe toll on the state. New York had 32,585 COVID-19 deaths as of Monday.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has come under fire for his prolonged measures to curtail the disease, which include a prohibition on indoor seating.
"It is painfully clear that without financial assistance, the restaurant industry in New York State could collapse," NYSRA President and CEO Melissa Fleischut told Just The News.
"These recent survey results illustrate just how dire the financial situation has become for most restaurants, and it shows how critical it is that elected officials understand the urgency of the situation," she added
Earlier this week, New York City officials said that roughly 1,300 of the city's 25,000 restaurants and bars have shut down during the pandemic.
This article was originally published by i24NEWS.
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