Gene Barr
In a year of seemingly unending challenges for businesses across the state, Gov. Tom Wolf’s latest mitigation orders will tragically be the final death knell for many, particularly in the hospitality industry. Banning indoor dining – along with the forced closure of gyms, theaters and museums – will further devastate Pennsylvania’s economy and lead to even more unemployment. While the PA Chamber appreciates the need to mitigate virus spread, this order continues a disheartening and unacceptable trend of the administration making policies in a vacuum, with decisions based on little input from industry experts or sound data.
The restaurant and hospitality sector has been among the hardest hit by the pandemic and those remaining are generally hanging on by a thread. To explain the latest restaurant shutdown order, the administration mentioned national studies, which, upon closer review, appear woefully inadequate to justify such a draconian measure. In fact, the a