Statement December 10, 2020
John Longstreet, President & CEO of the Pennsylvania Restaurant & Lodging Association
This afternoon, Governor Wolf announced a statewide shutdown on all indoor dining and private events, effective at 12:01 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 12. This order is devasting to the hospitality industry. Hundreds of businesses are teetering on the brink of financial disaster, and the livelihood of thousands of employees are on the line. The Governor offers us nothing but lip service by acknowledging the hospitality industry's precarious financial situation when our expertise is repeatedly ignored when drafting mitigation orders.
This order will have a considerable impact - hopefully, one of them will be to lower case counts, though there is no data to support that. As more residents stay home due to unemployment, they face the threat of rising cases and the added stress of putting food on the table for their families and keeping a roof over their heads. As the second-largest economy statewide, the hospitality industry provides thousands of jobs and serves as a pillar of communities throughout the state. The Governor cannot ignore these orders' impact, and Congress needs to act now to pass real relief.
When shutdowns came in March, the federal government created several safety nets for businesses and employees through the Paycheck Protection Program and additional unemployment compensation. Those programs no longer exist this time around, and there is no guarantee Congress will act to extend them soon. Many of our industry’s employees used up their unemployment compensation eligibility from the first shutdown. Restaurants find it increasingly challenging to conduct outdoor dining as temperatures dip and realistically cannot survive on takeout, delivery, and carry out alone.
The short notice of the shutdown and timing could not be worse as employers will be forced to lay off thousands of more workers as we head into the holiday season.
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Media contact:
PRLA: Stephanie Otterson, (717) 963-8369 or [email protected]
Food Shelter PR: Lorraine Gimblett, (215) 254-6601 or [email protected]