New York Governor Andrew Cuomo on Tuesday said he would not reopen indoor dining in New York City despite the infection rate being less than one percent for weeks in a row now because, he said, it would double the number of bars currently open and there is no one to enforce social distancing standards. 

The reasoning came after a conglomerate of bar and restaurant owners sued the state for $2billion in damages, claiming they were being unfairly shackled and stopped from making money. 

New York City - which has more bars and restaurants than any other city in the US - remains the only metropolis in the world that is yet to resume indoor dining. 

It is also the only place in the state of New York that has not been allowed to welcome diners inside again. 

As colder weather approaches, outdoor dining - which has only been an option for a small percentage of the city's establishments - will end. 

With no plan to let people back inside, the industry is under an unprecedented threat. 

But on Tuesday, Cuomo said he would not allow it to start up again unless the city - ie Mayor Bill de Blasio - came up with a unique task force to enforce the rules. 

De Blasio has put forward no such plan.