Erie County Legislator Chris Greene has introduced a resolution advocating for New York State to lift restrictions on the struggling bar and restaurant industry in Erie County.

A number of bars and Erie County have challenged the Governor’s Orders in court, leading to a judge’s decision to issue a temporary injunction allowing them to operate under “Yellow Zone” restrictions.  Legislator Greene’s resolution supports the recent legal challenge and urges Governor Cuomo to significantly reduce or eliminate the restrictions he has placed on these struggling small businesses. According to the Governor’s own data, restaurants account for just 1.43% of the spread of COVID-19, with 73.84% of cases coming from household spread.

Legislator Greene said, “Bars and restaurants have been temporarily shut down and forced to operate at limited capacity for going on a year now and these laws have caused hundreds of businesses to permanently shut their doors. This cannot continue any longer. I am fully in support of and calling on Governor Cuomo to permanently lift harsh COVID-19 restrictions on all Erie County and New York State bars and restaurants.”

A copy of the resolution can be viewed here.