Connecticut Workers Protest Demanding Assistance for Restaurants

Governor Lamont is facing pressure from both physicians and restaurants. Doctors want the state to expand shutdown restrictions and restaurant owners want the exact opposite.

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Restaurant owners physically showed their displeasure by marching, complete with signs, from Elizabeth Park in Hartford to the Governor's residence as they chanted, "no restrictions without relief".

Al Greenwood, who owns the 'Oak Haven Table & Bar' in New Haven and one of the rally's organizers made his intentions very clear when speaking to the Hartford Courant,

We need some help! We can't make it to a federal stimulus, it's that simple. There are things that can be done. We're not asking for a handout, we're just asking for resources. Shut down or open, we need relief.

The group of protesters moved to the Capitol where the Governor came out to meet with them. He told them he's trying his best to keep Connecticut restaurants open while other states are scaling back indoor dining. Lamont told them, "I can tell you we're doing everything we can." He also told protesters that he is looking into additional relief for the industry.

Personally, it feels like a no-win situation. It continues to be a battle of either saving the restaurant industry versus the safety of their potential customers. My wife and I still don't feel safe dining indoors at any restaurant. We choose not to take that chance.

At the rally, protesters argued that consumer confidence has been crushed. The majority of restaurant owners feel confident that dining indoors is perfectly safe because they have met every single state mandate.