Several California businesses, including restaurants, are staying open despite being restricted to operate in an outdoor setting.
Some restaurant owners say that the patio or any outdoor dining is not viable for some locations with colder weather.
“It just doesn’t work in colder climates, places like New York or Denver, or even Seattle. It makes it unenjoyable to go outside,” Paula Vrakas, owner of The Roxy in Encinitas and Denver said.
Businesses owners say they don’t defy orders for their own benefit, but for that of their employees as well.
“The reason was pretty simple: my staff would not be able to make their rent. It was that easy," Vrakas said.
These restaurant owners together with other businesses have joined a peaceful protest against limiting their capacity to serve clients and limiting their capacity to earn.
With the help of attorney Michael Curran of Curran & Curran Law, these restaurants keep their indoor dining open, safely following physical distancing measures.
Curran and his wife are helping hundreds of business owners nationwide exercise their constitutional rights.
“What we told them is open safely," Curran said. "Our goal is to get the restaurants, the salons, and the bars open, no conditions and doing it safely."
While they understand the current health issue brought by COVID-19, business owners don’t believe blanket policies can resolve the matter, WKTR reported.
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