CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- One local restaurant owner said the latest COVID-19 restrictions that include the suspension of indoor dining will be "catastrophic" for many businesses, both big and small.
“You just worry about your family and your employees," said Matthew Baldino, who owns Commonwealth Tavern in Roscoe Village, told WBBM. “It is unbelievably shortsighted for you to shut down an industry when you absolutely do not know that bars and restaurants are the issue.”
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Tuesday issued new coronavirus restrictions for Chicago that ban indoor bar and restaurant service and a ban on any gatherings larger than 25 people. The restrictions take effect on Friday.
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It’s now back to the drawing board for Baldino, who said Commonwealth will likely shift back to carry out and delivery and continue to donate to first responders.
“We’ll do everything we can to be as good of people as our parents wanted us to be," he said.
Without help from Chicago, he said many restaurants may not survive.
“If you are still employed and you have not been severely impacted economically, I would tell you to order out every single night of the week,” Baldino said. “I mean it. Every single night.”
Chicago has an average number of 798 daily coronavirus cases while Illinois reported 4,000 new coronavirus cases for Tuesday, according to city and state health officials.