PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Indoor dining has been temporarily halted in Pennsylvania through January 4. The ban, issued by Gov. Tom Wolf, began this weekend. Many industry leaders said the mitigation efforts are too extreme and are upset about the execution.
The action, issued Thursday, is a blow to an already struggling industry, and Dave Magrogan of Harvest Seasonal Grill and Wine Bar says the sudden announcement couldn't have come at a worse time.
"He is choosing to lay people off right before the holidays. They're not going to get their unemployment the next day. It's going to take weeks," he said.
When asked if he would feel better about the ban if funding was available to help him, Magrogan said, "I would feel better about mitigation if my employees were paid."
That's what Wolf asked of the federal government on Thursday.
"We need to make sure these business owners and their employees have the help that they deserve and that they need to weather this pandemic," said the governor.
But John Longstreet, president and CEO of the Pennsylvania Restaurant and Lodging Association, pointed out the state did receive federal money to help struggling employees.
"That last best chance in Pennsylvania was the $1.3 billion (in) CARES Act money that the governor and the legislature voted to use to balance the budget when it should've gone to businesses and people that were affected by the COVID crisis," he said.
Some restaurants made the argument that safer results could come from stricter regulation rather than outright elimination.
Magrogan said strict regulations from when customers were allowed to smoke in bars and restaurants meant air does not circulate the same there, thanks to expensive fresh air exchangers that restaurants are still required to have.
"So we're constantly bringing in new, fresh air," he said. "I guarantee you, you're not doing this in your house and you're not doing it at a typical retailer."
Longstreet also argued that every effort to create a safe dining environment was already in place in the commonwealth.
"Every time we put in further mitigation it seems like the cases rise. Maybe we're actually creating more of a problem by pushing people out of safe environments into unsafe environments like home parties," he speculated.
But Wolf said Thursday that the virus is spreading too quickly to make gathering indoors a safe activity when it's not possible to wear a mask.
"I don't know how you wear a mask when you drink something or eat something," he said.
And on that point, Magrogan agreed with the governor.
"This has been our argument from the beginning," said Magrogan. "You should pay attention to who you're having dinner with."
KYW Newsradio reached out to the governor's office about requesting additional federal funds after the CARES Act money was used to balance the budget. They said they would answer all questions on Monday.
