Governor’s New Rules Will Hit Bars And Restaurants Hard

The coronavirus is re-establishing its grip on Western New York.

On Wednesday as reported by WIVB-TV, the governor reacted by announcing new restrictions impacting bars and restaurants, gyms, and gatherings. Notably, these are the areas where contact tracers have been finding most of the COVID-19 cases.

Enter your number to get our free mobile app

The new rules are a grim realization for bars and restaurants. Those establishments must close their doors at 10 p.m. Restaurants can continue curbside pickup of food only after that point until their usual closing time.

The rules are tough restrictions for an already struggling industry. Melissa Fleischut, president of the New York State Restaurant Association says businesses she spoke with after the news came out Wednesday were obviously worried.

“These steps that the governor had to take [Wednesday] are an indication that he’s obviously concerned about the numbers and increases in cases, and is going to have to take measures to help curb it,” Fleischut said. “There’s a lot of concern going forward about what the next few weeks and next few months look like, and is it going to get worse before it gets better?”

These rules will also affect what is one of the most popular nights of the year for college-age patrons, the day after Thanksgiving which is usually a big night for celebrating.  Employees of the establishments affected are also concerned about what the resulting lack of business will have on their hours and jobs.

These new regulations go into effect Friday, Nov. 13 at 10 p.m.