Mayor the hospitality community deserves better, the City needs to present evidence that restaurants are a major contributing factor to the rise of COVID-19 cases.
The Fulton Market Association has requested and FOIAed information from the City of Chicago on restaurants’ impact on the increase of COVID-19. While acknowledging receipt of the FOIA, the city has not provided this information in a timely manner.
Restaurants are being destroyed by COVID and government closures, many are the brink! We understand the City’s need to protect public health, safety, and welfare, but we also need evidence that closures are justified.
There needs to be transparency, the hospitality community has been beat down and can’t take much more.
The vast majority of restaurants have followed the rules and adhered to the strict standards. They have played their part in protecting public health.
We ask you to work with the industry and present the data that made it necessary to put restrictions on restaurants.
Included is a press release from the Roger Romanelli, the Executive Director, Fulton Market Association. See at the bottom.
His organization has been requesting data from the City on the new cases of virus spread among restaurant workers and restaurant customers. Also they requested information on the number of restaurants in Chicago, number of new COVID cases among restaurant employees and customers, number of restaurants in non-compliance with city regulations and those restaurants closed for non-compliance with city regulations.
PRESS RELEASE
Chicago Restaurants Committee
A New Initiative – Citywide Supporters Wanted – Email Here to Add Your Name as a Supporter
 
Yesterday’s announcement of another indoor dining shutdown is upsetting.  Our city needs a new “Chicago Restaurants Committee.”
After a month’s delay by the Chicago Health Department to release data on restaurants and COVID since June, our Association involved the Illinois Attorney General’s office yesterday.  Thankfully, they sent a letter to City Hall (attached) giving them a 7-day deadline to provide data that we requested Sept. 29:
*What is City Hall’s data on the performance of restaurants since June?  How many restaurant employees and customers contracted COVID?  Was this related to indoor dining or not?
*Of Chicago’s 7,300 restaurants, which of them broke City Hall’s COVID-prevention rules since June?  Which were fined or closed?  If restaurants were misbehaving or proved to be causing a virus spread over the past 4 months, did City Hall increase fines to deter rule-breakers?  If not, why not?
Restaurants need to know: Are they being fairly or unfairly punished with the indoor re-shutdown this Friday?
If you support a new Chicago Restaurants Committee to help restaurants and negotiate with City Hall, email here or call me for information.  Share this with others and gain their support for CRC.  Thank you