An empty restaurant is seen in New York City. (Photo by Jeenah Moon / Getty Images)
OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 10:10 am PT – Friday, January 1, 2021
New York restaurant owners have filed several lawsuits in recent weeks to restore their businesses, which were virtually closed during the pandemic.
The most recent lawsuits were filed this week as restaurant owners said they were frustrated by the frequent changes in rules that prevent them from offering meals indoors. Many of these restaurants are operating in the state’s orange zones, which limits business to outdoor dining, for travel or delivery.
With temperature forecasts slightly above zero, outdoor dining is becoming an option.
The owners argued that standards for orange zone restrictions continue to change, basing closures on positive COVID-19 cases on one day and on available hospital beds the next day. They also said that the data shows that less than 1.5% of the COVID-19 spread is due to restaurants, with most of the spread being attributed to private meetings.
“So the question is, are these extreme closing actions, basically closing these restaurants for in-service meals, indoor meals, is it reasonable in these circumstances? The economic impact on the business owner and all employees is reasonable in light of the extremely low transmission rate occurring, ”asked attorney Adam Gee.
A group of about 40 restaurant owners in northern New York filed a lawsuit to allow their businesses to reopen. Reports say a judge is telling the state to reach an agreement or provide scientific evidence to support the restrictions.
“It costs a lot personally, with my family, with my children. You know that this year’s Christmas was extremely difficult, almost embarrassing. I felt ashamed that I almost couldn’t, you know, take care of my family, ”said Brandon Carr, owner of the Quarter. “We still have to find a way to replace all of our food, find new employees, create new payroll systems and everything.”
In New York City, the hospitality alliance argued that the ban on eating indoors is doing more harm than good, saying that about 1,000 restaurants have been closed and tens of thousands of jobs in the industry have been lost.
Governor Andrew Cuomo’s office (DN.Y.) indicated that the state is facing several lawsuits related to the restrictions.