New York restaurant owners are criticizing Governor Andrew Cuomo for announcing that thousands of Buffalo Bills fans can watch the team play in the playoffs, while many companies remain closed.
The Democratic governor, who is being sued by several business owners over coronavirus restrictions that ban indoor meals, said he will be present, promoting it as a pilot program to resume live events during the pandemic, allowing 6,700 fans attend if they tested negative for COVID-19 before entering.
“A football playoff game is outdoors, which is a much better situation with the spread of COVID,” said Cuomo. “We believe we are the first state in the country to execute this type of pilot. We think it can be very instructive for us in the future.”
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Don Swartz, owner of Veneto Gourmet Pizza and Pasta in Rochester, told Fox & Friends that everyone in western New York wants to go to the Bills game, but is just asking that they also be allowed to dine at a restaurant.
“I want the same opportunity for people to come to the restaurant and have dinner. It’s a personal choice. If people feel comfortable going to the Bills game safely, and we are following the CDC guidelines, that Rochester City, a Monroe County has also set some guidelines for us to follow. I want people to be able to make the same choice and come and support us, just as they are going to take root in Buffalo Bills, “said Swartz.
Ralph Galluzzi, owner of Raphael’s in Hamburg, just minutes from the stadium, said he was reduced to an employee of 10 and opened only three days a week because of the closure.
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“I’m six minutes from the stadium, so anyone who wants to stop before or after, I miss it,” said Galluzzi.
“I feel that everything that is happening now in the restaurant industry is totally unfair. People do not go out to dinner when they are sick, they stay at home, but they go to Walmart or the drugstore when they are sick, “he concluded.” Are they spreading this out in restaurants or at Walmart? “