CONCORD — Struggling restaurant owners asked a state task force Thursday to both reduce restrictions aimed at controlling the coronavirus and increase efforts to educate the public about them.
John Dunn, director of operations at Michael Timothy’s Dining Group, told the governor’s Economic Reopening Task Force that state officials need to do more to explain to the public why masks are required when entering, exiting and moving about restaurants. “All of the enforcement of this is being placed on our hospitality workers. We have some young workers who are coming against some people who are very adamant about not wearing a mask and are abusive to staff,” he said.
Dunn’s company operates five restaurants in Nashua, Merrimack and Portsmouth. And while they’ve been thankful for this summer’s dry, warm weather, it won’t last long, he warned, and the end of outdoor dining will cut business in half. Currently, restaurants in Rockingham, Hillsborough, Merrimack and Strafford counties are limited to 50% of their capacity indoors.
“We need to start looking at how we can improve our seating capacity within the restaurants safely,” he said.
Both points were echoed by Jay Bolduc, managing operator of the T-Bones and Cactus Jack’s restaurants.
“We’re hoping the leadership of the state of New Hampshire is open to helping us survive this fall and winter,” he said. “And that might mean allowing a better balance with capacity restrictions or barriers, or other safety initiatives that are available in our restaurants, like expanded (ventilation systems) that continuously pump air in.”
Later, several of the task force members expressed frustration that restrictions on many businesses haven’t been lifted despite favorable trends in the number of people testing positive for the virus, hospitalizations and deaths. They unsuccessfully pressed public health officials to describe specific metrics that would trigger the lifting of restrictions.
“What is an acceptable mortality rate? Obviously zero is what we desire. What is an acceptable infection rate?” said state Sen. Bob Guida, R-Warren. “What do we use and who’s making the call on when release businesses from these restrictions that are harming them?”
“There is no magic number that releases us from all restrictions,” said Patricia Tilley, deputy director of the state Division of Public Health.
State Rep. Jeffrey Salloway, D-Lee, suggested waiting a few weeks to see how the return of college students to campuses affects the state’s virus numbers. Being too cautious harms businesses, he said, but rushing to reopen costs lives.
“We on this task force walk on a knife edge,” he said.
Federal coronavirus relief funding is now available to Vermont farmers, sugar makers, meat processors and agricultural food and forest products businesses to help cover losses and costs related to the pandemic.
A total of $8.5 million in grants is available and will be distributed to applicants on a first-come, first-served basis. The deadline to apply for the Agriculture and Working Lands Assistance Application is Oct. 1.
“Farmers have not stopped working since the pandemic and are providing us with food but many of their markets were disrupted, creating economic hardship,” said Governor Phil Scott in a written statement. “These grants are intended to alleviate losses and added expenses due to the impacts of COVID.”
Applicants are advised to complete a W-9 form and collect records of losses and costs since March 1 that are related to the public health emergency. The Vermont Agency of Agriculture will hold webinars on the application process, with the first one happening Friday at 12 p.m.
Vermont reported three new cases of the coronavirus on Thursday for a statewide total so far of 1,356. The number of deaths remained at 58. Two people were hospitalized with COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus.
As of Wednesday, more than 7,000 people have tested positive for the virus in New Hampshire since the pandemic began earlier this year. Three new deaths were announced, for a total of 427.