'Marylanders For Safe And Sensible Regulations' To Launch Website, Social Media & Advocacy Campaign Aimed At Re-Opening Maryland Restaurants Shuttered By Overly-Restrictive COVID-19 Regulations
Maryland restauranteurs and concerned citizens seeking to re-open Maryland dining establishments and fight unfair regulations and negative economic impacts
BALTIMORE, Jan. 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- A group of Maryland restauranteurs, entrepreneurs and small business owners have organized a grassroots effort aimed at advocating against overly-restrictive regulations and mandatory restaurant closures made by lawmakers as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Marylanders for Safe and Sensible Regulations, formed just this month, is an organization set up by a group of Maryland restauranteurs whose employees and dining establishments have been hit hard because of mandatory restaurant closures and other restrictions placed on their operations. The organization's membership has been growing quickly through word of mouth and as a result, they have built and launched a website (www.seatatthetableMD.com) and will begin a series of media and advocacy activities aimed at highlighting their industry's plight before lawmakers, regulators and other audiences around the state.
"We believe the restaurant industry in Maryland, especially in jurisdictions like Baltimore City and Montgomery County, have been unfairly hit with closures and economically-damaging restrictions and regulations, when other establishments and businesses like grocery stores, pharmacies, and other retail businesses have barely had any restrictions placed on them," said Dave Norman, a Maryland restauranteur and President of Marylanders for Safe and Sensible Regulations.
"The restaurant industry in Maryland employs over 259,000 people who work in the nearly 11,360 restaurants, bars, take-outs, cafés, delis, and other dining establishments around the state. Together, they generate tens of millions of dollars in employee payrolls, providing good and (in normal times) steady employment, as well as significant tax revenues to the counties and State of Maryland," Norman added. "The restaurant and hospitality industry, and all the inter-connected food service industries like farms, butchers, grocers, beer/wine/liquor distribution and restaurant supply houses, also generate vital jobs and substantial payrolls throughout the state. Yet we are being unfairly penalized, over-regulated and targeted like no other type of small businesses have been," Norman said.
The organization also hopes to provide lawmakers and regulators with vital data and information about the reality that there is no evidence to prove that restaurant closures have resulted in lower COVID-19 infection rates.
"We have the data to prove that COVID-19 infections have not risen as a result of restaurants being allowed to remain open," Norman stated. "The fact is, COVID-19 infection rates actually went up in Baltimore City during the recent restaurant shut-down, while in Baltimore and Howard counties (where restaurants were allowed to stay open) , COVID infection rates actually decreased," Norman added.
Marylanders for Safe and Sensible Regulations' agenda is not limited to fending off restaurant closures or seeking their re-opening in the wake of the pandemic. They also intend to advocate for a number of different and longer-term business and regulatory issues related to maintaining the well-being and viability of restaurants and dining establishments in the state, including fighting against unreasonable and inconsistent regulations that vary by jurisdiction and are sometimes arbitrarily applied.
According to Norman and his group, it seems as though restaurants — as opposed to other people-concentrated businesses and places like retail and grocery stores — are being unfairly targeted for severe restrictions and partial or full closure. Norman says that, if anything, restaurants are doing more than their fair share of compliance with COVID restrictions.
"Look around you when going into a grocery or drug store. Yes, there are six-foot distancing signs and wipes available for your basket. But then look around your local restaurant or neighborhood fast-food place. Not only are there social distancing signs, there is a constant and continual level of cleaning and disinfection going on, all day long. Restaurants are some of the only retail spaces where people gather and where COVID-19 protocols are actively enforced," Norman said.
For more information about Marylanders for Safe and Sensible Regulations, please visit www.seatatthetableMD.com.
Contact: Rob Tappan
(202) 320-0842
[email protected]
SOURCE Marylanders for Safe and Sensible Regulations
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