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Just a few days after NYC officials released new guidelines surrounding pandemic-era outdoor dining sheds, entirely changing the way the outdoor eateries will now be allowed to operate, the city's Health and Mental Hygiene agency has made public its plans to completely ban smoking or vaping inside the open-air huts.
According to Chapter 10 of Title 24 of the Rules of the City of New York, "smoking tobacco, and using electronic cigarettes that do not contain cannabis, may be allowed in contiguous 'outdoor dining areas,'" as long as the defined sections "represent a separate and discrete area of a restaurant," do not have any sort of roof, are designated by signage as such.
Currently, an eatery's staff is also required to have patrons choose between smoking and non-smoking seating arrangements.
That's all, however, subject to change depending on the results of a new proposal carried forward by the city's health department.
Yesterday, the agency proposed to amend the current rules and basically ban the use of any sort of smoking device and product across the outdoor eateries that popped up during the coronavirus pandemic and are still the subject of many city-related discussions.
Although officials did not state their intentions, we suspect that potential shifts may contribute to lower smoking rates across the city—a valiant effort, if you ask us.
Nothing is yet set in stone, though, as New Yorkers are called to participate in a virtual public hearing from 10am to noon EST on March 14. You can access the event right here.