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COURIER L 20 IFE, DEC. 18–24, 2020 M BR B G
A speaker calls for action in the heart of New York City. Photo by Dean Moses
Restaurant workers
rally for aid at
Manhattan march
BY DEAN MOSES
Desperate for relief after losing indoor
dining, restaurant workers, owners
and advocates marched through
Manhattan on Dec. 15 appealing for
aid to rescue the industry amid the
COVID-19 pandemic’s second wave.
Marchers also protested the latest
pandemic restrictions just a day after
the latest indoor dining closure went
into effect.
More than 1,000 supporters of New
York City restaurants gathered at the
red steps in Times Square before heading
to Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Midtown
offi ce to plead for assistance.
Cuomo on Dec. 11 ordered a cessation
of indoor dining in New York City,
which took effect on Dec. 14. The governor
cited the recent spike in COVID-19
cases citywide, a rapid increase in virus
transmission and concerns about
rising hospitalization rates as factors
that led to the decision.
Restaurant workers, however,
blasted the move during Tuesday’s
march, which also enlisted well-known
industry leaders, members of the city’s
Chambers of Commerce, elected offi -
cials and loyal customers.
Bay Ridge Councilman Justin
Brannan — one of just three Brooklyn
pols who appeared to attend the rally
— was particularly critical of the closure’s
timing.
“Government-mandated shut
downs won’t work without economic
support for those impacted. Closing
indoor dining for a second time right
before Christmas without any promise
of aid or assistance is just outrageous,”
said the pol, who represents a
swath of southern Brooklyn including
Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights and Bensonhurst.
“This will be the last straw for
many restaurants and jobs. It is absolutely
urgent that the state not only provide
immediate aid, but that we speak
in a unifi ed voice to urge the federal
government to fi nally do the same.”
North Brooklyn Councilman Antonio
Reynoso agreed, calling on “all levels
of government to work together” to
provide relief for city restaurants.
“We know we need restrictions on
gatherings to keep us safe from COVID,
but to implement those restrictions on
restaurants without providing them
with any fi nancial support is unconscionable,”
said the pol, who represents
Bushwick, Ridgewood and Williamsburg.
“Our small businesses are integral
members of our communities, they
provide jobs and local gathering spaces
and we have left them to fend for themselves
during an unprecedented crisis.
New York City will no longer be the city
we all know and love if we allow our restaurant
community to go under.”
In the end, marchers’ overall message
was clear: to survive, restaurants
must be reopened.
“Over 6,000 businesses have closed
since the beginning of the pandemic,”
said Jeffrey Garcia, chairman of the
NYS Latino Restaurant, Bar & Lounge
Association, representing over 150
members throughout New York’s
nightlife establishments. “We are here
today to demand funding for the restaurant
industry, specifi cally the Restaurant
Revitalization Act, and we ask
Governor Cuomo to open us up.”
If signed into law, the Restaurant
Revitalization Act would provide $120
billion in funds to independent restaurant
businesses who have struggled
during the pandemic. Without it, Executive
Director of the New York City
Hospitality Alliance Andrew Rigie
said, there will be no return to normalcy
for a majority of restaurants.
With indoor and outdoor dining reinstated,
the industry was set to supply
more jobs, Rigie said, but the second
wave is setting everything back.
Additional reporting by Meaghan
McGoldrick
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