New York-based Jewish small business owners are protesting Governor Andrew Cuomo’s refusal to allow them to reopen their stores.
By Anash.org reporter
A group of Jewish small business owners in NYC have come together to plead for permission to reopen their stores.
Many states have allowed non-essential retailers to open, including New Jersey, which is set to allow ordering and curb-side pickup starting Monday. New York businesses however, remain shuttered, with no end-date in sight.
Across the city, chain-stores are open and packed with shoppers supposedly following social distancing rules, and these small business owners claim they can do a better job to maintain proper hygeine and a safe environment for their customers.
“I see 1,500 people in Prospect Park every day and I can’t be trusted to open my doors to one client at a time?” Asks Simcha Minkowitz of Amor Jewelery, in a viral video that triggered a slew of others.
“We are BEGGING that our businesses be allowed to open. I will clean my store and put safety measures in place. I will make sure one person comes in at a time, wearing a mask and gloves. Just let us open!”
“We are the backbone of the city,” Kiddichic owner Galit Weiner asserts in another #ReOpenNY video. “We understand the severity of this virus, but this seems to be a political battleground with no end in sight. Our PPP loans are running out and we don’t know what to do. Many of us are at a risk of never coming back.”
The Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce estimates around 20,000 small businesses will not survive the pandemic and may never reopen their doors.
Thousands have thus signed a petition requesting that small business be permitted to open.
“Our businesses are hurting terribly,” the petition reads. “WE closed to help YOU flatten the curve. We accomplished that goal together and got NYS under control. Now we need your help!”
Please give the petition your support to help New York flourish again.