A restaurant owner in upstate New York is calling on Gov. Andrew Cuomo to reopen the economy and lift lockdown restrictions meant to stop the spread of the coronavirus.
“It’s been devastating economically to businesses that have closed [and] are never going to reopen,” Crazy Otto’s Empire Diner owner Scott Tranter told Fox News on Saturday. “We had 22 employees that we had to lay off. We just got the Paycheck Protection Program brought … 15 of them back last week.”
“If you look at the statistics, if you look at the data, there’s no reason why we can’t open up now, and that’s my message to the governor,” he said.
Around 333,000 people have been infected with the coronavirus in New York state, resulting in more than 26,000 deaths. More than half of each tally has been recorded in New York City. Tranter stressed that not all areas have been hit equally, noting there have been three deaths in Herkimer, which is located in upstate New York, with 19 people currently hospitalized.
Tranter claimed he has lost around $160,000 is business so far. He added that the Paycheck Protection Program helps, but also sets him up for a “double whammy.”
“And, if you look at the actual statistics and the PPP loans and the eight weeks that you have to use the money, bringing the employees back, I will have to lay off the majority of the employees again, OK, come June. Because we still will not be open,” Tranter explained. “And there is no way that you can keep a business running and your capital investment and everything. If the money is not there, the money is not there.”
“And so, you are setting yourself up for the double whammy because while you are trying to hold your employee’s hand, you know it’s going to run out,” he continued. “We need to have the choice and have people come in, you know, to our restaurant to eat.”
Part of Tranter’s frustration stems from his belief that Cuomo has been “changing the goal post” and “changing the dates” when the state is expected to reopen. He worries that by the time “phase 3” and “phase 4” of the reopening process roll around, likely in July, small businesses will have to fold.
Cuomo said Friday he understands the frustration that New Yorkers have about the situation, but credited his policies with slowing the spread of the virus.
“I get the emotion — everybody would like to see everything reopen tomorrow. Me, first and foremost. Everyone. On every level — personally, economically,” Cuomo said during a press conference. “But … we are now in control, and we have the virus on the run because we have been smart and because we have been disciplined.”
