Critics: Eateries’ restart plan phased, confused
Critics warn restaurants are being “phased out” by a fourphase reopening plan they say is taking a “snail’s pace” approach to restarting the state’s stalled economy as the coronavirus threat recedes.
“Our state’s restaurants are being phased out while they watch every other state in New England open up but not ours,” said Paul Craney, Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance spokesman.
Massachusetts will be the last New England state to allow indoor dining after New Hampshire on Monday joined Rhode Island, Vermont and Maine to allow patrons to eat indoors. Connecticut is expected to allow indoor dining to resume today.
Gov. Charlie Baker has promised an update on when the second half of phase 2 of his reopening plan — which would allow indoor dining at a reduced capacity — will go into effect.
Massachusetts has been harder-hit by coronavirus compared to neighboring states — a fact Baker has repeatedly said is driving the state’s gradual reopening. Restaurants were permitted to open up patios and resume outdoor dining, with some restrictions on June 8.
Eateries are finding it hard to make ends meet amid restrictions on the number of customers and the ban on indoor dining. Less than 80% of Massachusetts restaurants have outdoor patios, according to the Massachusetts Restaurant Association.
Over a dozen city restaurants have announcing they would not reopen even after restrictions are lifted.
Chris Damian, co-owner of restaurants Papagayo and Sip Wine Bar and Kitchen, said reopening indoor dining is “exponentially important” to keeping the restaurants like his in business.
“We’re a low-margin business … with rents and everything, we’re nowhere near breakeven. We need the dining open,” Damian said
MRA President Bob Luz has said the state could lose as many as 20% of its restaurants from coronavirus losses.
The restaurant industry employed 263,000 Massachusetts workers in February — just over 10% of the total workforce. Roughly 90% were laid off amid the shutdown on dining out.
“Massachusetts continued to see our unemployment numbers grow and that is largely due to poor decisions. The governor’s office simply doesn’t have the capacity to review the hundreds of thousands of unique situations that compromise our economy. The result is unnecessary closures and a snail’s pace reopening,” Craney said.