Officials want Rochester citizens to find food and entertainment at home

On Sunday, March 15, Commissioner of Health Dr. Michael Mendoza and other health officials recommended that bar and restaurant owners in Monroe County ignore previous recommendations to reduce building capacity to less than 50 people. Instead, they now want owners to shutter their doors to help stop the spread of the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19). This news came shortly after New York Governor Andrew Cuomo made a similar request for the entire state.

During a press conference, Mendoza explained that he understood that humans are social beings. He then went on to say that: “At the same time, we also know that restaurants and bars can represent a risk. So, I am asking for your cooperation to evaluate whether you can close down as a restaurant or a bar.”

Currently, the request isn’t a demand. Health officials want bar and restaurant owners to consider their options. Some restaurant owners have decided to continue at least delivery and take-out orders while ending sit-down dining experiences. For many, they have no other choice given that their bills haven’t stopped pouring in even as everything else has been grinding to a halt.

Several states have already made bar and restaurant closures mandatory with delivery and take-out orders the only permitted alternatives. Local health officials have made it clear that they might be forced to do the same at any time over the coming days.

https://13wham.com/news/local/health-dept-recommends-bars-restaurants-close-in-response-to-coronavirus
https://www.whec.com/coronavirus/local-restaurants-consider-temporarily-closing-amid-coronavirus-concerns/5674957/
https://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/news/2020/03/15/rochester-ny-coronavirus-update-restaurants-bars-day-care-asked-close/5053747002/