#Indoor activities limited for NYC’s partial Phase 4 reopening

New York City is set to take another tentative step forward Monday from the coronavirus shutdown, as officials say that zoos, gardens and outdoor film and television production will be allowed to reopen.

However, city and state authorities have again nixed plans to expand the list of allowed indoor activities — like dining, museum visits and mall shopping — that have been connected to mass COVID-19 outbreaks in other states.

“We’ve got to strike a balance and we’ve got time to look at the evidence, watch what’s happening around the country, watch what’s happening around the city and make further decisions on some of these pieces,” Mayor de Blasio said at his Friday press conference.

Phase Four of the reopening will also allow New York’s baseball teams to play ball once again, albeit sans fans in the stands.

City Hall also announced it will extend the Open Restaurants pilot program until at least Oct. 31, allowing restaurateurs to keep their expanded European cafe-like outdoor dining setups in parking spots and on sidewalks into the fall.

More than 8,600 bars and eateries have applied for the permits, but there have been massive complaints about city officials continually tweaking the regulations for the program while giving owners little time to comply.

Additionally, de Blasio said 40 new blocks of city streets will be converted to dining space on weekends to help the city’s bars and eateries, which are struggling to stay in business due to the lingering indoor dining ban and financial impact of the initial coronavirus economic shutdown.

The latest expansion begins this weekend and will include Chinatown, Hizzoner added.