Ohio’s restaurants and bars say Congress needs to get to work immediately to give them more federal dollars to offset the losses associated with the pandemic.
The Ohio Restaurant Association’s John Barker says that stay-at-home advisories in seven Ohio counties, along with other statewide restrictions like a 10 p.m. curfew, are hurting his members.
“And so now we are back at the catastrophic phase for restaurants again. They have no cash flow. They are all losing money," Barker says.
Barker says Congress needs to extend more federal aid for restaurants, bars and employees. He says there’s a 20% unemployment rate associated with them right now, and thinks that number will climb significantly as the pandemic continues.
"It would be unconscionable not to help save America and all of these small businesses," Barker says.
