Struggling New York City restaurants can reopen for indoor dining Friday

After a devastating Christmas-season shutdown of small businesses and indoor dining in New York City, restaurants are being permitted to reopen Friday, a couple of days ahead to the original Valentine's Day restart on Monday.

Before the height of the Christmas season that would've brought some much needed business, state officials put a temporary ban on indoor dining, a COVID-19 number increased over the fall.  

The hotel, restaurant, entertainment and tourism industries have all suffered greatly, with nearly one-third of small businesses closing permanently in the city during 2020. 

With Chirstmas holiday season and related travel over, infection, hospitalization and mortality number have declined across the country.

"Valentine’s Day should be a big restaurant day, and so we’ll open 25 percent indoor dining [in] New York City [on] Friday before Valentine’s Day so they’ll have a big Valentines Day," Gov. Andrew Cuomo said at a press briefing on Monday.

N.Y.C. restaurants have joined together in filing a lawsuit against the state's indoor-dining ban, arguing it is unconstitutional that and state data shows it results in little virus transmission.