Wildwood Mayor Pete Byron Urges Governor to Allow Indoor Dining in Cape May County

(Wildwood, NJ) – Wildwood Mayor Pete Byron released the following statement in response to Governor Phil Murphy’s decision to postpone the resumption of indoor dining, which was scheduled to resume Thursday, July 2nd at 25% capacity.

“The Governor’s decision to postpone the resumption of indoor dining is deeply frustrating and likely a knockout punch for numerous Cape May County restaurateurs who have been fighting day to day to keep the lights on. As a Cape May County restaurant owner or employee, you’re already in a unique position, the calendar is not your friend. Under the best circumstances you have a small window, during the summer season, to make a living and survive the winter offseason. This postponement not only puts employee’s ability to qualify for unemployment insurance in serious jeopardy but livelihoods.

“New Jersey has done an incredible job from the outset flattening the curve and reducing COVID-19 cases which has resulted in Cape May County having the lowest numbers in the state. Cape May County should not be punished for the actions of a few bad actors in North Jersey or by data from states whose leadership obviously shirked their responsibilities and did not take COVID-19 seriously for months. Here in New Jersey, specifically Cape May County, we have done an exceptional job keeping the number of confirmed cases low.

“Cape May County restaurant owners and their employees are dedicated hard working citizens standing ready to be responsible stewards of the public health, equipped to socially distance, and will do a great job following guidelines to protect the health and safety of their customers. Many businesses have spent substantial sums of money to rehire employees, buy food, supplies, and PPE and to design layouts to maintain required social distancing guidelines. I implore the Governor to resume indoor dining Thursday as previously scheduled. With the loss of the Memorial Day weekend behind us, we simply cannot afford any further delay. If bad actors are exposed, we shut them down but let us not punish those operating responsibly.”