POUGHKEEPSIE – Small business owners from gymnasiums and fitness centers, to a yoga studio, and catering halls told their stories of how not being allowed to reopen is literally killing their businesses.
The entrepreneurs from Dutchess and Putnam counties participated in a Zoom-cast session called by State Senator Sue Serino (R, Hyde Park) on Thursday.
All of the owners said they have COVID-19 protections in place and could open following the appropriate protocols.
Dutchess County Executive Marcus Molinaro said they have his administration’s blessing to reopen.
“I will say from the county’s public health perspective, we believe the businesses we talk about today can safely open with precautionary steps,” he said.
Many of the businesspeople who spoke said they have received no word from Albany as to when they can reopen.
Serino suggested those in power have no vested interest in making timely decisions.
“The people who are making the decisions are getting paychecks. They don’t feel it; you guys do,” she said.
Catering hall owners like Joe Bonura Jr. questioned why restaurants are allowed to reopen but they are not and a yoga studio owner Liz Glover Wilson asked why martial arts studios are allowed to open but she is not.
