The NYPD has told its officers they can ticket — and even arrest — restaurant or bar owners who flout the rules banning city nightlife and dine-in meals, The Post has learned.
Mayor Bill de Blasio’s order, announced Sunday night, limits all restaurants and bars to takeout meals only as a way to force New Yorkers to practice social distancing amid the coronavirus outbreak.
On Monday, the department laid out in a memo to all NYPD members how to enforce the mayor’s shutdown of nightlife in the Big Apple.
Cops will have the power to order any pub or eatery to empty out if caught with too many patrons perched on stools or customers chowing down, according to the memo
Officers may ticket the owners of the restaurant, bar or club but are given the leeway to issue a warning instead of handing out a misdemeanor summons.
If the owner or operator ignores, though, they can be cuffed and charged with obstructing government administration.
The diners can be arrested too on charges of disorderly conduct if they refuse to leave.
But a spokesman for the NYPD said this would be a last resort as the city tries to deal with this pandemic together.
“This crisis requires the cooperation of all New Yorkers, the order to close can be addressed by a range of actions, from instruction to warning to a summons, ultimately we anticipate none of them required since New Yorkers will cooperate,” the spokesman said.