An empty restaurant is seen in New York City. (Photo by Jeenah Moon / Getty Images)
TO Newsroom
UPDATE 10:10 PT PT – Friday, January 1, 2021
Restaurant owners in New York have filed several lawsuits over the past few weeks with the goal of repairing their businesses, which were largely closed during the pandemic.
The latest charges were filed this week because restaurant owners said they were frustrated by the frequent changes in the rules that keep them from serving indoor meals. Many of these restaurants operate in the orange zones of the state, restricting the businesses to eating, taking down or delivery.
With the forecasts for the state placing the temperature just above freezing, the dining room fading outside as an option.
Owners have argued that the standards for orange area restrictions are still changing, and the closure is based on positive COVID-19 cases one day and then the next day in available hospital beds. They also said that data shows that less than 1.5 percent of the COVID-19 distribution is due to restaurants, with a majority of the distribution being blamed on private gatherings.
‘So the question is: this extreme action to shut down, basically to shut down these restaurants for a dining room or a dining room, is it reasonable under these circumstances? The economic impact on the business owner and all the employees is quite reasonable in light of the extraordinarily low transfer rate, ”lawyer Adam Gee asked.
A group of about 40 restaurant owners in upstate New York have sued to have their businesses reopened. According to reports, a judge asked the state to reach a compromise or provide the scientific evidence to support the restrictions.
‘It personally takes a toll, with my family and my children. You know that Christmas was extremely difficult this year, almost embarrassing. I felt ashamed that I could hardly afford to take care of my family, ”said Brandon Carr, owner of the Quarter. “We still have to find a way to supplement all our food, find new staff, invent new payment systems and everything.”
In New York City, the hospitality alliance argued that a ban on indoor dining is doing more harm than good, saying about a thousand restaurants have been closed and tens of thousands of jobs in the industry have been lost.
The government of Andrew Cuomo’s (DN.Y.) office has reportedly indicated that the state is facing several lawsuits regarding the restrictions.