Atlantic County leaders are calling on the governor to reopen more businesses before it’s too late.
Restaurants and possibly bars, gyms and movie theaters should be able to reopen in limited capacity with the same requirements of grocery stores, shopping malls and childcare centers, Atlantic County Executive Dennis Levinson said.
“We have already lost Memorial Day and Fourth of July business and are fast approaching Labor Day and the fall season with no indication that the governor will permit indoor dining and entertainment anytime soon,” he said.
Atlantic County Freeholder Chairman Frank Formica brought the concerns to the Board of Freeholders on Tuesday.
The board unanimously supported a resolution to open indoor dining.
“If this is not done immediately, he will need to start announcing more COVID-19 deaths that won’t come from a positive test result, but deaths of small businesses and people’s livelihoods as a result of unnecessary, prolonged closures,” Freeholder Amy Gatto told BreakingAC before the meeting.
She noted the recent announcement of a likely permanent closing Sadia’s Tea and Coffee in Egg Harbor Township made.
Both Connecticut and Massachusetts resumed limited indoor dining back in June without any notable increases in COVID-19 cases, Levinson noted.
“If others can do it, why can’t we?” he asked. “We’re fighting for our economic lives here and we need the governor to take action.”
Gatto said there’s an inconsistency in the governor’s orders.
“Yoga and martial arts studios can be open with indoor services and specific guidelines, gyms cannot,” she said. “Hundreds of people can stand in line at MVC for 8 hours to go inside for a few minutes to process paperwork, but no one can vote at a voting booth in person for the General Election.”
She noted that Anytime Fitness owner Myke Collazo has already had to close one of his three Atlantic County locations.
“If public health equals economic health, we should be offering grants through the NJEDA or specific tax incentives for businesses to do things like upgrading ventilation systems,” Gatto said. “This not only helps prevent the spread of the virus in the air but helps businesses have hope for a more stable future.”
Levinson cited recent news of a report by StratoDem Analytics that indicated New Jersey had a second quarter economic loss at an annualized rate of 34.6 percent, higher than the national annualized loss. Even more disturbing was Atlantic County’s 40 percent drop in gross domestic product, the highest among all counties in the state.
The second quarter covers the months of April, May and June during which time Atlantic City’s nine casinos were closed. The governor allowed the casinos to reopen in July but at limited capacity and without indoor dining and entertainment.
In March, the Brookings Institution projected the Atlantic City metro region would be the third most recession-vulnerable area in the U.S. with more than one-third of its workforce in industries threatened by coronavirus-related uncertainties.
“How can the governor ignore this devastating economic data?” Levinson asked.
“The governor states that his decisions are based on science and data but we’ve yet to see it,” he said. “Where’s the data that says that it is somehow safer to open those big box stores and indoor businesses than it would be for a restaurant or movie theater to open?”
The Governor’s Office did not respond to requests for comment.
The number of confirmed cases in the county is now 3,826 with 2,339 listed as recovered.
TOTAL BREAKDOWN BY MUNICIPALITY
