PITTSBURGH — Closed signs are a familiar sight for anyone looking for a bite to eat throughout Western Pennsylvania following Gov. Tom Wolf’s order shutting down indoor dining. Now, the Pennsylvania Restaurant and Lodging Association is calling on the governor to reverse his decision, citing new data from a neighboring state.
In a news release, the association highlighted a contact tracing study out of New York that was conducted during the fall. That study found fewer than 2% of COVID-19 cases were spread in restaurants and nearly 75% of cases were spread during private gatherings.
Getting accurate contact tracing information has been difficult in Pennsylvania with fewer than 5% of people who tested positive last week telling case investigators they visited a business.
“The logical thing to do would be to come out and say ‘Wow, we made a mistake. In light of this new data, let’s get these people back to work.’ Let’s use some of the millions of dollars of food that’s sitting rotting in coolers now because there was no notice given before the shutdown. Let’s get it out there and serve it while it’s fresh,” said John Longstreet with the PRLA.
Longstreet said he hasn’t gotten a response from the governor’s office yet.
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