Touchdown! Murphy Heeds Calls by O’Scanlon & Bucco to Lift Bar/Restaurant Restrictions for Super Bowl

Senator Declan O’Scanlon and Senator Anthony Bucco claimed victory in their effort to convince Governor Murphy to loosen indoor dining restrictions in advance of the Super Bowl.

Sen. Declan O’Scanlon and Sen. Anthony Bucco claimed victory in their effort to convince Gov. Murphy to loosen indoor dining restrictions in advance of the Super Bowl. (©iStock)

“I’m glad Governor Murphy listened to us and made some reasonable adjustments to the indoor dining restrictions to help our struggling bars and restaurants in advance of the Super Bowl,” said O’Scanlon (R-13). “We hope this is the first step in a continual loosening of restrictions that will help thousands of sidelined employees in the hospitality industry get back to work.”

The governor announced this morning that indoor dining capacity limits will be raised from 25% to 35% and the 10 p.m. curfew will be lifted in advance of the Super Bowl.

O’Scanlon and Bucco led the effort to urge Governor Murphy to make the changes, including an online petition that was launched on Monday.

“I want to thank the Governor for listening to our common sense arguments that keeping the existing indoor dining restrictions and early 10 p.m. curfew would have driven more people to house parties where they could watch the full game,” added Bucco (R-25). “The old restrictions no longer make sense when you consider the protocols that have been established and the resulting data. This success gives us added motivation to continue fighting for all of the businesses that are still struggling under outdated COVID-19 rules.”