BERLIN â Two months before the opening of Exile Burrito restaurant in downtown Berlin, Gov. Chris Sununu declared a state of emergency because of COVID-19 and closed all indoor dining. Owner Adam Hammill told U.S. Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) he decided to go forward with opening the restaurant despite the pandemic because he had spent a year and a half planning it. Hammill said running the restaurant has been difficult and along the way he had to lay-off some employees. Hassan said most businesses that started up after Feb. 15, 2020 have been unable to access COVID-19 relief programs. She said she has co-sponsored the âRecovery Startup Assistance Actâ as part of the stimulus bill just passed by Congress to provide payroll assistance to small businesses that started up during the pandemic.