New York Governor Andrew Cuomo (D-N.Y.) announced on Tuesday that he would use his executive authority to suspend the liquor licenses of 12 bars in the New York City area, all for alleged “egregious” violations of various lockdown measures, as reported by The Hill.
The announcement came after New York state government employees conducted over 1,300 “compliance checks” over the weekend, with an additional 644 conducte on Monday. Cuomo’s office claimed that the inspections revealed 158 different violations. Each bar could face fines as high as $10,000 for each individual violation.
With these 12 bars over the weekend, a total of 45 businesses across the state of New York have seen their liquor licenses revoked directly by Cuomo himself. The governor accused such businesses of “disrespecting” fellow New Yorkers who have made “sacrifices” in order to comply with various lockdown orders.
Cuomo, along with other Democratic governors, has been ridiculed for some of the more specific restrictions he has implemented regarding bars and other restaurants. Cuomo, along with California Governor Gavin Newsom (D-Calif.), recently issued new guidelines on what constitutes a full meal, forcing certain restaurants and bars to sell more “substantial” amounts of food if they want to remain open.