24 THE QUEENS COURIER • JULY 22, 2021 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
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Title: De Blasio keeping school mask requirement in
place despite new CDC recommendations
Summary: New York City doesn’t have plans to change
its current mask-wearing policy in schools and adhere to
recently updated guidelines from the Centers of Disease
Control and Prevention.
Reach: 5,595 (as of 7/19/2021)
Order up for the city
More than 16 months ago, the New
York City restaurant industry suffered
a massive economic blow due
to crowding restrictions implemented
during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Th e worst of the pandemic is
(hopefully) behind us, and many of
those restrictions have gone by the
wayside. Diners are once again enjoying
fi ne meals both inside and outside
eateries across the fi ve boroughs,
but as any restaurateur can tell you,
the road to recovery is a marathon,
not a sprint.
Most of the eateries that survived
the pandemic fell far behind on their
rents. But those were the lucky ones;
thousands of restaurants did not survive
at all. Th at included some of
the fi nest establishments in the city,
owned by high-profi le chefs such as
Tom Collichio, who said on July 15
that he owed $1.2 million in back
rent at one establishment that closed.
Collichio appeared with New York
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand at a press
conference in which they called for
additional economic relief — to the
tune of $60 billion nationwide — to
help independently owned restaurants
get back on their feet.
Th e American Rescue Plan, enacted
in April, provided $28 billion in federal
aid to restaurant owners across
the U.S., but according to Gillibrand,
the demand quickly exhausted the
supply of funding. She said the additional
$60 billion in relief proposed
would “provide direct aid to the restaurant
owners Congress initially
intended to assist and help these vital
businesses keep their doors open.”
New York City’s restaurants can use
all the help they can get. Th e pandemic
was especially diffi cult in our
city, which prides itself on its culinary
scene. Th e Independent Restaurant
Coalition estimates that 31.6 percent
of the jobs lost in New York
were from the leisure and hospitality
industry — that accounts for hundreds
of thousands of New Yorkers
and their livelihoods.
Th e health of the New York economy
is greatly dependent upon small
businesses. Congress must not only
see fi t to provide additional aid to restaurants,
but we as New Yorkers must
also step up to the plate and continue
supporting our local eateries.
New York Restaurant Week, which
began on July 19, is an ample opportunity
to show your support for our
culinary scene but also enjoy great
meals at discounts. Visit nycgo.com/
restaurantweek to fi nd a participating
eatery, and spend some of your
cash with them.
Photo by Dean Moses
Show your support for our culinary scene by participating in New York Restaurant Week.
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