Hundreds of restaurant owners and employees in the hospitality industry are organizing in Times Square Tuesday demanding that indoor dining reopen, saying that it's a matter of saving the backbone of New York City.
The transmission rate from indoor dining and living room gatherings were each printed on T-shirts, 1.4% and 74% respectively.
They are calling on Sen. Mitch McConnell and the federal government to enact the Restaurant Act as a revitalization model to help pay for the losses restaurants and distributors are suffering.
Support from the state is also requested, along with reopening indoor dining, using sales tax to pay for air filtration systems, and using education and training instead of fines and revoking permits – a direct hit to the state liquor.
Hope comes with the vaccine, but many are pointing out that without help, there may be no hope for restaurants to make it by the time enough of the public is vaccinated.