De Blasio Says NYC Will Enter Phase 2 of Reopening on Monday

Many restaurants and bars in New York City, especially in Manhattan, do not have available outdoor space, and owners have for weeks pressed lawmakers to expand their ability to serve customers outdoors as the city reopened.

As the city first began easing restrictions earlier this month, a kind of informal outdoor dining emerged, with large groups eating and drinking on streets outside businesses that were open for takeout.

On Thursday, Mr. de Blasio said that restaurants in the city would be able to place seating in curbside parking areas and on sidewalks adjacent to their restaurants, even if those establishments had never provided outdoor seating before.

He also announced that beginning in July, the city would allow restaurant seating on the 43 miles of streets that it had closed as part of its Open Streets program. Under the program, roads were closed to vehicle traffic in an effort to provide more outdoor space to residents and prevent crowding at city parks.

“Outdoor dining is the way forward,” Mr. de Blasio said.

The mayor predicted that the expansion of outdoor dining could prevent 5,000 of the city’s restaurants from closing and avoid the loss of 45,000 jobs. For restaurants that do not already have outdoor seating permits, an expedited application process will begin on Friday, officials said.

Ted Pavlakos, a manager at Hudson Clearwater in the West Village, which has a popular patio as well as sidewalk seating, said the restaurant was “absolutely ready to open on Monday for outdoor seating.”

In recent days, he said, customers have been stopping by the restaurant in-person and calling to see when the patio would reopen. Many, he added, seem to be “itching to come back.”