►
Description
The Joint Committees on Commerce & Economic Development and Public Health & Human Services of the Council of the City of Philadelphia held a Public Hearing on Wednesday, April 7, 2021, at 2:00 PM, in a remote manner using Microsoft® Teams to hear testimony on the following items:
210201 Resolution authorizing the Committees on Commerce and Economic Development and Public Health and Human Services to conduct a joint hearing to review the past and current guidance for Restaurant Capacity; and, if needed, make recommendations to the Philadelphia Health Department to either change current Restaurant capacity requirements or recommend future Restaurant capacity requirements.
A
Emergency
city
council,
these
are
currently
meeting
remotely.
We
are
using
to
make
these
remote
hearings
possible
and
instructions
for
how
the
public
may
view
and
offer
public
testimony
of
public
hearings
of
council
committees
are
securing
notice
published
in
daily
news
and
legal
intelligence
and
can
also
be
found
in
phila
phle.com,
and
now
that
the
hours
come.
A
D
All
right,
thank
you
good
afternoon,
chair
school,
ambassador
members
of
the
council
committee
on
commerce
and
economic
development
and
the
committee
on
public
health
and
human
services.
My
name
is
dr
thomas
farley
and
I'm
the
health
commissioner
for
the
city
of
philadelphia.
I
appreciate
the
opportunity
to
provide
testimony
regarding
the
occupancy
of
restaurants
in
philadelphia,
I'll
give
testimony
for
the
entire
administration
and
commerce
director
mike
rashid.
Who
will
be
with
me
to
answer
your
questions.
D
While
we
are
all
tired
of
the
coven
19
virus,
the
virus
is
not
tired
of
us.
The
epidemic
has
already
killed
more
than
3
200
philadelphia
residents
and
continues
to
kill
between
25
and
30
more
every
week.
Our
case
rates
from
cover
19
today
are
extremely
high,
with
more
than
500
residents
diagnosed
with
the
infection.
Every
day
case
rates
have
approximately
doubled.
D
In
the
past
five
weeks,
more
than
100
residents
are
newly
hospitalized
with
covet
each
week
a
number
of
people
being
treated
in
philadelphia
hospitals
is
more
than
doubled
since
early
march,
while
I'm
hopeful
that
vaccination
will
ultimately
tame
the
epidemic.
It
is
clear
that
we
have
not
vaccinated
enough
philadelphia
residents
to
stop
the
spread
of
the
infection.
Yet
there's
no
question
that
restaurants
are
high
risk
sites
for
transmission
of
covenanting
virus.
The
evidence
to
support
this
conclusion
comes
from
several
sources
and
several
types
of
studies,
to
mention
just
a
few.
D
It
is
well
established
that
covert
19
is
spread
through
the
air
and
that
the
site
of
entry
is
the
respiratory
tract.
That
means
the
highest
risk.
Situations
are
those
where
people
are
near
each
other
indoors,
not
wearing
masks.
That's
exactly
what
happens
when
people
die
in
restaurants
in
many
states,
restaurants
are
the
most
commonly
identified
healthcare
setting
for
covert
19
outbreaks.
D
A
cdc
study
published
last
year
found
that
going
to
a
restaurant
bar
or
coffee
shop
was
the
highest
risk.
Community
exposure
for
cobot
19.,
a
national
study
done
last
year,
showing
credit
card
data
using
credit
card
data
found
that
states
with
more
restaurant
spending
had
more
rapid
increases
of
cover
19
cases.
D
A
study
published
in
the
scientific
journal
nature
that
modeled
the
epidemic
in
10
large
cities,
including
philadelphia,
identified
full-service
restaurants
as
the
most
important
settings
for
covet-19,
spread
the
new
york
times
study
the
new
york
times
had
a
study
that
showed
that
states
with
greater
restrictions
had
fewer
covenant.
19
cases
per
capita
and
restrictions
on
restaurants
and
bars
were
particularly
important,
and
a
cdc
study
published
in
march
found
that
counties
that
reopened
restaurants
had
increased
growth
of
copenhagen
cases
and
deaths
from
covert
19..
D
As
you
know,
in
philadelphia
today,
all
restaurants
are
allowed
to
serve
customers
to
eat
indoors
up
to
25
percent
of
their
maximum
occupancy,
because
cobia
19
is
spread
through
the
air.
Dining
outdoors
is
safer
than
dining
indoors,
and
increased
ventilation
should
reduce
the
risk
of
spread
of
cover
19.
D
I
thought
this
was
a
good
idea,
so
working
with
commerce
and
obtaining
advice
and
input
from
a
group
of
restaurant
owners,
we
developed
standards
for
high
levels
of
ventilation
and
a
streamlined
process
for
restaurants
to
demonstrate
that
they
meet
these
standards.
Those
that
do
are
allowed
to
increase
their
capacity
to
50
percent
note
that
we
will
not
eradicate
covenanting
virus
in
2021,
and
we
may
not
eradicate
it
for
years
or
ever
that
means
we
will
all
benefit
over
the
long
term
if
all
restaurants
have
high
levels
of
ventilation
indoors.
D
It
is
my
hope
that
the
difference
in
allowed
capacity
tied
to
these
ventilation
standards
will
encourage
all
restaurants
who
do
not
currently
meet
these
standards
to
upgrade
their
ventilation
systems.
I
know
that,
throughout
the
through
the
efforts
of
my
colleagues
in
the
commerce
department,
the
city
has
provided
tens
of
millions
of
dollars
in
relief
funds
to
restaurants.
D
The
department
of
health
will
continue
to
monitor
case
rates
hospitalizations
and
deaths
in
order
to
determine
the
best
policies
for
restaurants
as
vaccinations
increase.
We
hope
that
covet
case
rates
and
deaths
will
fall.
If
they
do,
we
intend
to
increase
allowable
occupancy
in
restaurants,
but
it
is
necessary
for
us
to
remain
flexible.
New
information
and
unforeseeable
factors
make
it
difficult
to
predict
or
plan
very
far
into
the
future.
Thank
you
for
the
opportunity
to
testify
I'll,
be
happy
to
answer
any
of
your
questions.
A
B
A
A
G
A
G
You
thank
you
michael
rashid,
director
of
commerce
city
of
philadelphia,
just
just
a
few
comments,
mr
chairman,
and
then
I'll
be
happy
to
take
any
questions
that
that
you
may
have.
I
just
want
to
summarize
some
comments
that
we
have
made
to
the
to
others
commit
other
committees
of
city
council
over
the
past
past
few
months.
G
First
of
all,
what
has
the
commerce
department,
with
the
backing
of
the
mayor
and
the
health
department
and
city
government
done
over
the
past
year,
to
support
restaurants,
financially
or
otherwise,
to
be
able
to
open
open
safely?
First
of
all,
we
just
want
to
make
sure
that
we
called
we
called
everybody's
attention
to
the
fact
that
the
hospitality
industry
was
the
most
hard-hit
industry
of
of
the
of
the
copa
covet
pandemic
in
the
past
year,
just
in
philadelphia
over
37
000
individuals
lost
their
job
as
a
result
of
the
covet
pandemic.
G
Most
of
those
people
were
lower
income.
Women
and
most
of
those
people
were
lower
income
women
who
are
black
and
brown
in
our
society.
So
you
know
we
talk
about
the
restaurants,
which
are
businesses
which
are
which
are
very
important
businesses,
but
they're
more
than
businesses.
There
are
also
major
employers
of
low-income
black
and
brown
people
in
in
out
in
our
community
and
and
to
the
extent
that
they
are
it's
like
a
a
stone
in
a
pond.
G
It
ripples
out
into
child
care,
education,
general
income
and
many
other
things
that
are
ailments
in
our
society
and
and
so
it's
it's
it's
more
than
just
trying
to
rebound
some
business
owners.
When
we
talk
about
the
restaurant
industry,
we're
talking
about
thousands
of
people,
low-income
people
in
our
society
who
are
adversely
adversely
affected
by
what
happens
to
this
industry.
With
that
in
mind,
over
the
past
year,
the
commerce
department
distributed
10
000
ppe
kits
at
the
start
of
the
pandemic,
to
restaurant
employees
and
to
enter
restaurant
owners.
G
We
work
collaboratively
with
the
health
department
to
get
business
feedback
on
the
reopen
with
care
campaign
to
help
businesses
safely
reopen
of
the
13.3
million
dollars
distributed
through
the
small
business
relief
fund.
Approximately
4.7
million
was
distributed
to
food
businesses
over
the
of
the
12
million
dollars
through
the
gym,
restaurant
and
gym
relief
program.
Nearly
10
million
was
provided
to
restaurants,
working
with
pidc
on
a
17
million
dollar
program
called
the
chirp
program,
which
is
which
is
the
commonwealth
hospitality
industry
relief
program.
G
G
we're
working
interdepartmentally
with
all
departments
of
city
council
of
our
city
government
to
adapt
our
regulations
to
update
and
communicate
guidance
and
to
provide
more
options
for
safe
dining.
I
have
to
say,
because
of
the
number
of
jobs
that
have
been
lost
enough.
This
is
the
number
one
job
loser
in
in
our
community
commerce
department
and
the
whole
city
has
been
really
working
harder
than
any
other.
G
A
I
will
note
for
the
record
at
this
time
that
we
will
use
the
chat
feature
available
microsoft
teams
to
allow
members
to
signify
that
they
wish
to
be
recognized
in
order
to
comply
with
the
sunshine
act.
The
chat
feature
must
only
be
used
for
this
purpose
all
right.
Thank
you.
Now
we'll
go
into
questions
my
quick
questions
before
we
go
to
other
council
members.
A
Instead
of
asking
for
specifics
from
the
industry,
dr
farlier
or
commissioner
rasheen,
do
you
see
a
timeline
that
you
expect
say
increases
in
occupancy
levels
or
other
things
that
will
change
within
a
certain
timeline?
I
know
we
we
changed,
I
number
of
vaccines
and
when
people
we
get
vaccinated
so
now
that
we
see
that-
and
we
know
the
19th
it's
going
to
be
open
to
everyone.
Does
that
change
anything
in
your
mindset
or
are
we
looking
at
certain
factors
before
a
decision
can
be
made.
D
D
I
am
I'm
hopeful
that
we
have
more
people
vaccinated
on
april
30th.
I
hope
I'm
hopeful
around
that
time.
We
start
to
see
the
epidemic
on
the
decline,
maybe
because
of
the
high
levels
of
vaccination,
but
there's
so
many
I've
been
through
so
many
times
when
this
virus
has
surprised
us
that
I
I
can't
predict
with
any
certainty
at
all
that
that
would
happen.
A
D
Right,
the
my
best
guess
is
that
by
around
april
30th
we
may
have
75
percent
of
people
over
the
age
of
65
vaccinated
and
maybe
as
many
as
50
of
adults
vaccinated
and
when
I
say
vaccinated,
I
mean
with
at
least
one
dose
but
again
there's
plenty
of
surprises.
The
case,
if
case
rates
are
continuing
to
rise
at
that
point,
even
if
you
have
the
money
vaccinated,
then
that
means
that
that's
not
enough
with
new
variants
taking
over.
D
C
Yeah,
thank
you,
mr
chairman,
good
afternoon,
dr
farley.
I
just
wanted
to
clarify
something
about
the
air
restrictions
and
I
think
we
had
a
conversation,
maybe
two
or
three
months
ago
about
how
we
could
get
increased
from
25
percent
and
we
talked
about
airflow
and
nothing
specific.
Could
you
measure
air
or
whatever,
and
I'm
no
scientist
or
doctor
on
that,
but
I
guess
the
issue
we
are
seeing
now
from
our
restaurant
people.
C
You're
going
to
hear
was
today
is
that
the
requirements
that
the
city
put
in
place
for
the
airflow
seem
to
be
we're
the
only
city
in
the
united
states
that
has
this
requirement.
I
think
that's
what
you're
going
to
hear
from
them
today
that
they
feel
that
requirement
is
overreaching
now
I'll.
Let
them
speak
for
themselves,
but
that's
what
it
appears
to
be.
I
don't
know
any
other
city
that
has
the
requirement
that
we
put
in
place.
So
I
think
that's
what
you're
going
to
hear
from
some
of
the
testimony
today.
D
Yeah
of
other
cities
that
have
that,
on
the
other
hand,
I
do
like
the
idea.
You
know
we.
We
all
cities,
feel
much
more
comfortable
with
outdoor
dining
and
indoor
dining
and
what's
the
difference.
Well,
outdoor
dining,
there's
lots
of
very
good
ventilation.
They
said
well.
If
we
could
have
very
high
levels
of
ventilation
indoors,
then
restaurants
could
have
the
economic
benefit
of
people
working
without
having
the
risk.
D
That'll
serve
all
of
us
well
over
the
long
term,
and
so
having
some
differential
density.
Tied
to
ventilation
provides
an
incentive
which
I
think
will
help
the
whole
industry
upgrade
this
ventilation,
and
then
we
all
benefit
from
that.
So
even
if
we
were
to
increase
capacity,
I
would
want
to
still
have
some
incentive
there
for
that
ventilation
and
then
that
incentive
is
tied
with
the
availability
of
funding
now
to
to
install
it.
C
D
Yes,
thank
you
if
I
could
just
mention
on
cost,
so
we
did,
as
you
know,
put
out
a
list
of
ideas
and
how
they
could
meet
the
standards,
and
some
of
them
can
be
fairly
expensive.
Upgrading
your
entire
hvac
system,
but
some
of
them
could
be
a
few
hundred
dollars,
particularly
when
the
weather
is
warm.
A
fan
in
the
window
can
provide
this
level
of
ventilation,
and
I
don't
know
what
kind
of
financial
support
restaurants
are
getting
now
from
the
federal
government.
D
A
E
E
You
know
you
were
very
gracious
to
go
on
a
tour
with
us
on
north
22nd
street
and
also
other
parts
of
the
eighth
district
recently,
and
one
of
the
things
that
you'll
notice
and
we
talked
about
was
the
lack
of
restaurants,
and
so
the
restaurants
that
are
in
our
neighborhoods,
you
know,
are
really
really
in
need
of
support.
So
I
was
wondering
if
you
had
or
could
break
down
and
get
to
myself
and
my
co-chair
information
in
terms
of
where
those
resources
went
in
the
neighborhoods.
G
Yeah
councilwoman,
I
can.
I
can
get
you
that
information,
but
you
you
make
a
a
great
point,
you're,
absolutely
right
for
various
reasons.
There
is
much
more
data
available
in
terms
of
what's
going
on
in
center
city
than
there
is
in
the
neighborhoods
and
and
so
we're
that's
a
priority
of
ours
is
to
get
better
data.
I
I
will
get
you
data
on
what
you're
asking
for.
Let
us
please
let
us
follow
up
with
you
and
get
you
that
data.
E
A
A
H
Thank
you
councilman.
My
name
is
melissa
bova,
I'm
from
the
pennsylvania,
restaurant
and
lodging
association,
councilman
councilman
bath,
councilman,
squilla,
members
of
the
public
health
and
human
services
and
commerce
and
economic
development
committee.
Thank
you
for
allowing
me
to
testify
today
about
the
experience
the
hospitality
industry
has
had
relating
to
mitigation
standards
put
in
place
by
this
administration
during
the
covet
19
crisis.
H
We
have
worked
hard
at
the
state
level
with
the
governor's
office
to
develop
clear
guidance
across
the
commonwealth,
and
we
worked
with
state
and
local
officials
to
pass
legislation
to
help
the
industry
get
through
the
past
months
and
hopefully
future
months.
The
last
year
has
been
terrible
for
restaurants,
hotels
and
caterers,
and
we
hope
that
by
highlighting
our
frustrations
today,
we
can
move
forward
in
bringing
this
industry
back
to
the
vibrant
contributor
to
the
city's
economy.
It
once
was
further.
H
What
we
do
have
issue
with
is
the
way
the
administration
targeted
our
industry,
this
past
fall
and,
most
recently,
in
the
past
few
months,
the
administration
has
voiced
concerns
about
private
gatherings
in
people's
homes
being
the
biggest
spread
of
covid,
and
these
gatherings
were
taking
place
entirely
because
our
industry
was
forbidden
to
operate
yet,
despite
us
not
being
the
cause
of
the
spread.
Additional
standards
have
been
put
on,
restaurants,
specifically
just
to
reopen
at
50
percent.
H
There
are
members
of
the
restaurant
advisory
committee
here
today
to
speak
specifically
to
their
experiences
as
members
of
the
committee
and
operators
within
the
city,
but
I
did
want
to
highlight
a
few
key
points
that
have
been
proven.
True
over
the
past
few
weeks.
The
current
hvac
standards
that
are
in
place
are
not
in
existence
anywhere
in
the
country.
I
have
reached
out
to
a
number
of
my
counterparts
in
other
cities
and
states
and
asked
why
they
don't
have
a
similar
model.
H
They
said
it
was
impossible
to
have
a
standard
that
all
restaurants
of
all
sizes
of
all
types
could
comply
with.
The
health
department
had
said
at
the
beginning
that
these
standards
could
be
something
that
others
in
the
country
could
replicate.
We
are
eight
weeks
in
and
no
one
has
chosen
to
replicate
these
standards.
H
We
quite
frankly,
beg
the
city
not
to
implement
these
hvac
standards
for
restaurants
to
operate
at
50
and
not
make
it
a
requirement,
but
make
it
a
strong
recommendation,
as
as
dr
farley
said,
to
incentivize
people
to
use
their
grants
to
make
these
investments,
but
don't
pick
min
winners
and
losers
by
making
it
a
mandy.
The
city
declined.
We
further
asked
as
councilman
scrolla.
You
just
mentioned
for
a
timeline,
so
those
that
can't
meet
these
standards
know
when
they
can
go
to
50.
H
The
city
has
declined
to
provide
us
any
type
of
timeline,
any
type
of
hope
for
this
industry
to
be
able
to
operate
at
50
without
the
extra
expense
or
standards
put
in
place
with
these
hvac
requirements.
That's
likely
been
the
most
frustrating
piece
of
this.
For
us.
We
don't
know
when
the
end
is
going
to
be
because
nobody's
giving
parameters
of
when
the
end
will
be
in
sight.
H
H
We
are
now,
as
I
said
almost
two
months
four
months
into
these
standards,
which
have
not
changed
while
other
cities
are
at
or
above
philadelphia's
current
parameters.
I
know
dr
farley
mentioned
washington
dc.
We
love
to
compare
ourselves
to
new
york
city.
New
york
city
is
at
50
for
indoor
dining
boston
has
a
six
foot.
Social
distancing
rule
between
tables
and
chicago
is
currently
at
50
capacity,
and
none
of
these
cities
have
the
standards
that
philadelphia
has
in
place.
H
Restaurants
continue
to
suffer
because
they
are
being
targeted
as
a
spreader
of
the
virus
when
they
aren't
even
open
or
allowed
to
operate.
I
do
want
to
acknowledge
that
during
this
process,
the
commerce
department,
commissioner,
dr
commissioner,
rashid,
has
done
his
best
to
act
as
an
intermediary
between
the
health
department
and
the
industry.
But
we
are
13
months
into
this
crisis.
The
vaccine
is
being
distributed
and
the
industry
cannot
suffer
any
longer.
H
It
is
time
philadelphia
aligns
with
the
rest
of
the
state
of
pennsylvania,
or
at
least
at
minimum,
its
surrounding
states
and
cities,
and
allow
private
events
to
be
held
in
our
establishments,
allow
restaurants
to
serve
guests
safely
and
at
higher
capacity,
but
that
onerous,
expensive
requirements
put
on
them
that
every
other
state
and
city
in
this
nation
has
determined
makes
absolutely
no
sense.
Thank
you
for
allowing
me
to
testify
today
and
I'm
happy
to
answer
any
questions.
A
Thank
you,
melissa
for
your
testimony.
According
to
you're,
saying
no
other
people
have
the
ability
to
do
the
ventilation
in
their
city
or
have
a
a
regulation
in
place
to
do
the
ventilation
in
their
city.
Is
there
a
ventilation-
and
I
know
dr
farley
mentioned
the
fan
and
other
things
is
there
something
that
you
can
do
that
would
work
as
an
industry.
H
There's
nothing
that
can
be
uniformly
applied
to
the
industry,
for
example,
dr
farley
mentioned
you
could
put
a
fan
in
a
window.
If
you
are
a
business,
that's
in
a
basement,
you
don't
have
windows
or
if
you
are
a
restaurant
in
an
old
building,
your
windows
might
be
sealed
shut.
You
don't
have
the
option
to
do
that.
G
A
A
C
C
H
G
Oh,
the
commerce
director,
the
commerce
department
does
not
collect
that
for,
for
example,
the
grants
that
were
given
recently
given
we
did
have.
We
do
have
demographics,
racial
demographics
on
those
grantors,
but
there's
a
lot
of
data
that,
for
example,
that
the
health
department
does
collect.
I'm
not.
I
don't
think
that
they
collect
racial
demographics.
On
some
of
that
data.
C
Okay,
so
racial
demographics,
you
know
the
equity
would
certainly
be
a
part
of
the
data
collection
which
I
think
is
extremely
important.
I'm
talking
about
in
addition
to
the
locations
of
some
of
these
businesses
that
are
that
have
restaurant
licenses
or
liquor
licenses.
I
know
some
are
byob,
but
you
know
more
of
the
demographics
of
locations.
Are
they
on
commercial
partners?
C
Are
they
stand-alone
and
are
they
multi-story
buildings
or
as
melissa
said,
there's
you
know
some
that
may
not
have
ventilation
that
are
you
know
in
in
a
basement
or
a
warehouse
setting?
I'm
just
you
know.
So
the
question
is:
when
you're,
you
know
taking
a
look
at
some
of
the
equity
numbers
and
when
it
comes
to
disbursements
of
of
of
you
know,
some
sort
of
of
grants
and
low
interest
rate
loans.
C
G
Yes,
that
would
that
would
take
some
coordination,
but
that,
quite
frankly,
that's
our
job
in
the
commerce
department
is
to
coordinate
that.
I
I
think
that
would
be
some
of
it
will
be
in
l,
and
I
some
of
it
will
be
in
the
health
department
and
and
that's
our
job
again
we'd
be
happy
to
try
to
collect
some
of
that
information
and
present
it
to
you.
C
Okay,
great,
if
if,
if
it's
not
too
much
trouble,
it'd
be
great.
If
you
took
lead
in
that
and
trying
to
coordinate
with,
because
it
is,
you
know
the
commerce
and
health
department.
You
know
committee
hearings
here
today.
It
would
be
extremely
beneficial
because
that
will
give
us
a
a
snapshot
of
the
types
of
businesses,
the
size
and
the
locations
you
know
in
one
or
quarters:
are
they
standalone?
Are
they
center
city
who
has
reached
the
level
of
investment
of
of
the
higher
hvac
system?
I'm
I'm!
C
A
A
I
Yes,
thank
you.
Thank
you,
members
of
council
for
allowing
me
to
testify
today,
I'm
here
on
behalf
as
a
member
of
the
restaurant
advisory
committee,
to
express
the
frustration
that
we've
had
with
dealing
with
the
health
department.
We'd
like
to
thank
the
commerce
department
and
the
streets
department.
Who've
been
very
cooperative
and
kind
of
open
to
our
input,
but
we've
had
consistent
issues
with
the
health
department.
Now
all
of
us
realize
that
you
know
that
the
city
officials
are
are
choosing
between
the
the
the
lesser
of
two
evils.
I
Certainly
the.
If
we
lived
in
a
world
different
from
our
own,
it
would
make
sense
to
everyone
to
stay
in
their
homes
until
the
the
pandemic
subsided,
but
that's
not
what
happens
in
the
real
world,
so
we
look
at
it
as
clearly
when
the
pandemic
first
happened.
It
was.
It
was
a
red
light.
All
restaurants
would
close
once
we
reach
enough
vaccinations,
it
should
be
green.
I
The
restaurants
should
open,
but
now
we're
kind
of
in
the
gray
area,
and
this
is
where
we
hoped
we
could
help
contribute
to
doing
things
safely,
and
we
really
expected
the
health
department
to
come
to
us
on
the
best
friend
advisor
committee
to
ask
us
questions
on
how
we
can
achieve
safe
restaurant
operations
and
that's
not
what
happened
during
this
entire
time.
They
haven't
asked
us
any
questions.
They
haven't
asked
us
for
our
help.
We've
constantly
made
suggestions
to
them.
I
We've
written
memos,
we've
written
reports
and
we
get
the
same
answers
back
again
and
again:
oftentimes
even
the
commerce
director.
He
cited
the
study
from
nature
and
the
credit
card
studies.
All
those
studies
have
to
do
with
restaurants
at
100
occupancy
the
same
study
which
she
cites
also
says
when
restaurants
are
at
fifty
percent
occupancy
that
the
the
spread
of
the
virus
is
only
ten
percent
of
what
it
is
at
a
hundred
percent.
So,
like
I,
I
think
that
we
wanna
have
the
dialogue
with
the
health
department
about
ways.
I
Restaurants
can
open
safely
by
realizing
that
there
are
sometimes
when
they
can't
open
safely
and
that's
where
we
need
imagination.
We
need
creativity
during
this
gray
area,
where,
in
some
things
we
do,
if
we
do
them
differently,
we'll
make
it
safe
er,
but
realizing
that
that
these
things
are
still
going
to
be
somewhat
unsafe.
I
But
but
a
lot
of
these
studies
are
also
talking
about
this
substitution
effect
that,
when
you
close
restaurants
and
and
places
of
public
gathering
that
forces
people
to
substitute
gathering
in
private
homes
and
what
these
studies
have
found
is
when
they
substitute
a
highly
regulated
properly
designed
restaurant
setting
to
a
private
home
that
actually
increases
the
spread
of
the
virus.
So
so
simply
saying
and
creating
rules,
but
not
taking
into
account
that
there
might
be
a
substitution
for
unsafe
behavior
by
closing
restaurants.
I
They
really
need
to
weigh
the
factor
of
those
two
things
which
are
not
doing,
and
I
think
more
importantly,
we've
asked
the
health
department
to
include
a
frequently
asked
questions
on
their
website.
There's
so
much
confusion
among
restaurant
operators.
What
they're
allowed
to
do
what
they're
not
allowed
to
do
what's
safe,
what's
unsafe
and
what
we
asked
is
to
have
a
simple,
frequently
asked
questions
that
could
apply
to
all
restaurant
operators
equally.
But
instead
they
say
just
call
us
or
email
us
individually
and
we'll
answer
you
individually.
I
That
doesn't
make
much
sense.
It
has
to
be
a
standard
applying
to
all
restaurants.
Equally
across
the
city.
I
think
it's
very
important
to
understand
that
if
you
look
at
the
the
case
rates
between
pennsylvania
versus
philadelphia,
they're,
both
going
up
right
and
the
same
proportion
but
philadelphia
has
a
25
percent
dining
pens.
Fanny
has
a
50
dining.
Nevertheless,
our
cases
up
and
down
match
the
rest
of
pennsylvania,
we're
not
any
different,
so
that
goes
to
show
that
it's
not
restaurants
occupancy
which
is
causing
the
spread
of
the
virus.
I
It's
other
factors,
so
we
love
the
opportunity
to
have
a
dialogue
with
the
health
department
for
them
to
come.
Ask
us
questions
as
operators
as
people
who
understand
the
way
people
act
to
to
come
to
us
and
help
us
divide
a
safe
way
of
opening
the
the
the
the
their
air
ventilation
standards
it
just
it's
untenable.
It
does
not
work,
it's
not
possible
to
turn
an
existing
hvac
system
to
get
more
air
exchanges
than
it's
designed
to
do
so.
G
H
J
J
J
J
J
J
J
The
the
first
problem
is
that
the
results
aren't
going
to
be
accurate.
The
health
department
is
asking
lay
people
to
measure
their
buildings,
air
changes
per
hour
and
percent
outside
air.
I
ran
this
spot
by
our
exhaust
ventilation,
contractor
he's
a
mechanical
engineer
and
is
accredited
by
the
national
balancing
council
as
a
certified
test
and
balance
supervisor.
J
J
J
The
second
issue
happens
is
what,
if
the
measurements
don't
meet
the
guidelines,
only
a
trained
professional
would
know
what
steps
could
be
taken
to
improve
the
ventilation
to
achieve
the
standards.
Only
a
trained
professional
would
know
what
steps
would
know
that
in
certain
cases,
an
establishment
simply
wouldn't
be
able
to
meet
the
guidelines
after
spending
hours
in
meetings
with
the
health
department.
J
I
was
talking
to
this
mechanical
engineer
and
I
was
doing
my
own
research.
My
takeaway
on
this
whole
issue
is:
do
not
try
this
at
home.
None
of
us
on
this
call
are
able
to
do
this,
as
lay
people
in
this
very
specialized
field.
So,
in
order
to
meet
the
guidelines,
I
hired
this
professional
and
again
he
wasn't
begging
to
take
my
money
and
many
other
restaurants
hired
him,
and
perhaps
other
professionals
as
well.
I
paid
twelve
hundred
dollars
for
three
restaurants.
J
There
are
other
expenses
I
incurred
as
well,
and
for
treya
it
was
worth
the
expense
considering
how
small
our
restaurants
are.
You
know,
I
know
it's
very
important
to
the
city
and
the
commerce
department
state
of
this,
but
this
level
playing
field
for
all
types
of
restaurants
with
different
resources.
J
It's
simply
not,
so
you
might
be
wondering
why
I'm
here,
because
I'm
a
beneficiary
of
this
program,
I
have
three
restaurants
out
of
the
135
that
are
allowed
to
serve
at
50
capacity,
I'm
here,
because
I
felt
like
I
needed
to
speak
up
for
a
few
reasons,
one.
I
think
this
program
appears
to
be
a
waste
of
the
city's
limited
resources
and
our
city's
restaurants
limited
resources,
given
how
few
restaurants
are
certified
and
given
that
the
ones
that
are
self-certified
may
have
inaccurate
measurements.
J
J
J
If,
if
public
health
improvement
and
protection
is
the
main
goal,
then
I
would
advocate
enforcing
existing
standards
and
force
the
bad
actors
out
there
to
either
change
their
behavior
or
close
their
businesses.
It's
incredibly
frustrating
for
me
to
see
nuisance
bars,
do
whatever
they
want
and
act
practically
as
super
spreader
events.
Well,
I'm
hiring
an
engineer
to
measure
my
air
changes
per
hour.
J
Five,
even
as
the
state
has
relaxed
dining
standards,
including
an
increase
to
75
indoor
capacity,
philadelphia,
didn't
even
relax
minor
standards
that
guests
really
don't
like
like
having
to
order
food
with
a
drink
or
not
being
able
to
dine
inside
with
one's
immediate
family
of
five.
I
have
a
family
of
five.
J
The
straighteries
have
been
the
one
amazing,
wonderful
thing
that
I
think
the
city
has
done
for
our
industry
and
the
pandemic.
It's
been,
you
know
I.
I
can
sure
there
are
countless
restaurants
that
owe
their
present
survival
to
the
streeters
and
two
of
my
restaurants,
the
ones
that
stayed
open.
I
don't
think
I'd
be
here
on
this
call
today,
if
it
weren't
for
the
streets.
E
You
know-
and
I
don't
mean
to
put
anybody
on
the
spot,
but
I
do
need
to
put
people
on
the
spot
in
terms
of
we
need
help.
You
know
we
we
need
help
in
our
neighborhoods
and
a
lot
of
the
bad
actors
in
the
8th
district.
We've
repeatedly
requested
support
from
the
health
department
and
have
not
gotten
the
level
of
enforcement
which
allows
which
has
allowed
them
at
the
height
of
the
pandemic,
to
act
as
super
spreaders.
E
You
would
go
by
and
see
a
very
small
space
crowded
with
you
know
lots
of
people
who,
most
of
whom
were
not
wearing
masks,
and
so
you
just
knew
that
the
results
are
going
to
be
catastrophic
for
this
particular
community
and
it
wasn't
one
one
shop
or
one
store
or
one
restaurant
or
eatery.
It
was.
You
know,
a
number
of
places
that
we
were
trying
to
get
enforcement
on.
E
A
E
A
I
agree
miss
madam
chair
also
and
even
with
l,
and
I
we
had
some
people
that
you
know
do
the
right
thing
and
apply
for
the
permits
get
the
street
areas.
Then
we
have
other
people,
don't
do
anything
just
put
them
out
there
and
right
they
build
them
too
much
into
the
street.
They
block,
and
we
had
you
know,
incidents
already
where
people
run
into
them.
So
you
know
we
need
to
do
a
better
job.
A
F
All
right,
great
hi,
everyone,
my
name
is
claire
carty
and
I
am
the
owner
of
kaleidoscope,
weddings
and
also
a
venue
in
center
city,
philadelphia
named
view
on
50,
which
was
fortunate
enough
to
open
in
april
of
2019.
So
I
actually
wanted
to
start
off
by
thanking
everybody
for
allowing
me
the
opportunity
to
testify.
F
It's
very
important
for
everyone
to
understand
that
the
catering
groups
and
the
other
groups
in
the
hospitality
industry
have
been
extremely
hard
hit
by
the
mandates
enforced
by
the
philadelphia
department
of
health
first
and
foremost,
and
something
that
I
know
you
know
probably
isn't
spoken
about.
We
have
to
often
deal
with
very
very
unhappy
couples,
clients,
some
of
which
have
brought
in
lawyers
and
lawsuits,
because
we,
as
the
venues,
are
unable
to
keep
up
our
end
of
the
contract
and
the
ability
to
host
their
events.
F
F
F
F
A
Thank
you
claire,
I'm
just
going
to
say
that
I
too
had
witnessed
that
I've
actually
attended
a
couple
weddings,
none
in
philadelphia,
but
you
know
going
to
those
other
areas
and
understanding
a
lot
all
those
people
matter
of
fact.
One
wedding
was
over
in
jersey.
They
rented
school
buses
to
take
everybody
in.
B
A
A
A
K
All
right-
let's
see
here
so
good
afternoon,
distinguished
members
of
city
council,
health
and
commerce,
officials
and
other
visitors,
and
thank
you
for
taking
the
time
to
hear
our
concerns.
My
name
is
jeffrey
miller,
president
of
jeffrey
miller,
catering
company
and
founding
member
of
pep,
which
is
the
private
event.
Professionals
of
pennsylvania
we're
a
group
of
about
200,
plus
caterers,
venue,
operators,
bands,
photographers
decorators
and
other
event.
Professionals,
as
commissioner
rashid
has
mentioned
today,
accurately.
K
The
hospitality
industry
is
the
hardest
industry,
that's
been
hit
and
then
the
wedding
industry
is
actually
the
hardest
hit
industry
within
hospitality.
Not
unlike
restaurants,
we
can't
we.
We
can't
serve
25
or
50
percent.
We
can't
do
little
takeout
shops,
no
one's
doing
takeout
weddings,
so
we're
almost
completely
shut
down.
But
I'd
like
to
take
a
few
minutes.
K
Tell
you
about
our
current
precarious
financial
position
and
the
damage
that
philadelphia's
ban
on
weddings
has
caused
us
and
continues
to
cause
mistaken
view
of
the
city
regarding
the
benefits
of
shutting
us
down
and
the
help
we
are
seeking
people
plan
a
200-person
wedding
because
they
have
200,
close
friends
and
family.
So
a
50-person
wedding.
K
People
are
angry
when
you
can't
do
their
weddings
and
when
they
want
their
deposits
back
and
we've
spent
them,
they
sue
you.
We
have
about
20
lawsuits
going
on
right
now,
it's
horrible,
so
these
20
40
person,
weddings,
don't
help
us
at
all.
So
when
the
city
says
you
can
do
weddings
for
15
to
25,
what
they're
really
saying
is
no
weddings
in
the
city
of
philadelphia.
K
We
operate
two
venues
in
the
city,
one
of
men,
several
in
the
suburbs.
At
our
indoor
facility,
the
rat
club
of
philadelphia,
we
lost
every
single
wedding
booked
from
march
26
2020
to
the
present
at
our
outdoor
venue,
the
swedish
museum.
We
lost
90
percent
of
the
events.
In
the
same
time
period
we
furloughed
about
three
quarters
of
our
staff
in
2020
and
we've
lost
several
million
dollars
and
that's
after
the
ppp
money,
which
we
got.
K
K
K
So
many
have,
but
many
also
just
leave
the
city,
and
I
know
very
firsthand,
because
we
have
suburban
properties
that
are
picking
up
the
weddings
from
our
own
city
properties,
but
also
from
other
hotels
from
other
venues
in
the
city
that
are
not
able
to
open
up.
So
again,
as
claire
said,
these
city
residents
are
still
having
their
weddings
and
their
friends
and
family
from
philadelphia
still
attending
at
the
end
of
night.
They
drive
back
to
the
city
and
they're
no
safer
than
getting
married,
the
city,
but
the
city
workers
lose
their
jobs.
K
Again,
as
claire
mentioned,
when
people
have
events
out
of
the
city,
they
can't
do
them
safely
under
supervision,
as
we
can
provide,
as
licensed
caterers.
They're
just
doing
whatever
they
want,
there's
no
health
checks.
There's
no
contact
list,
there's
no
sanitizing
stations,
there's
no
masking
requirements,
all
that's
out
the
door.
So,
in
summary,
shutting
down
the
wedding
industry
in
the
city
makes
the
city
no
safer
only
poorer.
K
K
K
Lastly,
a
question
for
dr
farley,
you
mentioned
case
counts
are
up,
I'm
not
a
doctor,
obviously,
or
I
wouldn't
be
cooking
for
a
living,
but
I
was
wondering
if
we're
looking
at
hospitalizations
as
well.
There
are
some
folks
who
are
saying
that
this
is
going
to
be
a
chronic
situation,
both
vaccines
and,
as
I
understand
if
you
get
coveted,
but
you
have
a
vaccine,
you
get
a
much
lower
case
of
it.
You
might
you
don't
go
to
the
hospital,
you
don't
die.
I
guess
that's
the
issue.
A
L
Good
afternoon
councilman,
my
name
is
ed
gross
and
I'm
the
executive
director
of
the
greater
philadelphia
hotel
association,
I'm
here
today
to
share
with
city
council
the
impact
the
pandemic
and
the
city's
restrictions
have
had
on
our
hotels
and
thank
you
to
councilman,
sequela
and
councilman
bass
for
holding
this
hearing.
Today,
no
other
industry
in
philadelphia
has
been
more
hurt
by
the
pandemic
than
its
hotels
in
the
hospitality
industry.
According
to
recent
numbers
from
tourism
economics
in
2019,
our
occupancy
rate
was
76.3
percent
and
fell
to
30.9
in
2020
a
59.5
percent
decrease.
L
L
of
all
the
jobs
lost
in
philadelphia,
40.5
percent
for
hospitality
jobs.
So
I'm
here
today
to
advocate
for
the
50
of
philadelphia,
hotel
employees
that
we
have
not
been
able
to
bring
back
yet
from
housekeeping
and
banquet
staff
to
guest
service
agents.
These
employees
are
treated
like
part
of
the
family,
which
is
why
they
receive
competitive
wages
and
extensive
benefits.
L
L
This
lost
business
hurts
our
employees
in
food
and
beverage
housekeeping
front
desk,
audio
visual
valet
parking
bell
staff
and
more.
The
long-term
lack
of
future
business
has
severe
consequences
on
the
city.
As
the
multiplier
effect
of
the
hospitality
sector
contributes
to
the
local
tax
base
that
supports
essential
functions,
please
help
us.
L
Please
help
the
city
bring
visitors
and
revenue
back.
The
hotels
have
sacrificed
so
much
during
this
pandemic,
and
we
need
city
hall's
affirmative
assistance
to
establish
our
recovery
by
ensuring
we
can
compete
on
a
level
playing
field
with
those
outside
the
city
and
in
neighboring
states.
Thank
you
for
your
consideration
on
this
important
matter.
A
M
M
M
M
Well,
I'm
happy
to
say
that
it
has
been
a
true
joy,
commerce,
managing
director's
office
streets
department,
fire
department
and
l,
and
I
have
all
been
the
pleasure
to
work
with
and
we
have
felt
supported
as
an
industry
by
these
agencies.
Unfortunately,
the
same
is
not
true
for
the
health
department.
M
I
would
like
to
quickly
remind
the
committee
members
that,
as
an
industry,
restaurants
pay
the
highest
taxes
in
the
city
when
we
figure
in
uno
tax
alcohol
beverage
tax,
which
is
10
on
every
drink
and
the
sugary
beverage
tax,
not
to
mention
all
the
other
licenses
and
fees.
It
is
easy
to
see
why
philadelphia
is
always
included
on
lists
of
the
least
business
friendly
and
highest
tax
cities
in
the
nation.
M
M
M
The
advisory
committee
reminded
the
health
department
representative
that
this
is
why
we
exist
to
help
them
understand
it
and
how
it
affects
the
industry
after
about
10,
to
15
minutes
of
discussing
the
fact
that
they
did
not
wish
to
discuss
it.
I
pointed
out
to
everyone
that
in
the
time
we
discussed
not
discussing
it,
we
could
have
discussed
it.
M
This
is
par
for
the
course
for
this
agency.
They
absolutely
refuse
to
listen
to
anyone,
but
themselves,
as
others
have
testified.
The
same
is
true.
With
the
with
the
so-called
hvac
requirement.
I
apologize
for
that.
There
we
go.
The
health
department
ignored
virtually
all
input
on
how
the
health
department
was
measuring
air
flow.
They
even
ignored
the
hvac
union
leaders
who
were
brought
in
by
the
mayor's
office.
M
No
one's
professional
opinion
matters
to
the
health
department
under
dr
farley's
direction.
By
the
way,
even
the
advisory
committee
has
even
I'm
sorry,
even
though
the
advisory
committee
has
never
endorsed
or
supported.
Many
of
these
restrictions
like
this
discriminatory
and
failed
hvac
standard.
This
has
not
stopped
dr
farley
from
stating
to
the
press
the
as
he
did
just
here,
that
these
policies
have
been
developed
with
input
from
the
restaurant
industry.
M
He
neglects
to
say
that
we
were
all
ignored
since
the
governor's
announcement.
We
have
constantly
been
trying
to
explain
to
customers
how
the
changes
will
not
apply
to
philadelphia
this
only
further
angers,
our
customer
base
between
40
to
50
percent
of
the
customers
in
midtown
village,
are
residents
of
new
jersey,
delaware
and
the
surrounding
counties,
all
of
which
have
more
relaxed
restrictions
than
philadelphia.
M
M
Also,
the
department's
short
notices
on
changes
have
cost
restaurants
to
have
food
spoil
and
otherwise
be
or
otherwise
be
lost.
As
a
financial
loss
to
the
business.
These
obstructionist
attitudes
have
further
harmed
the
hospitality
industry
more
than
any
other
sector
of
the
delaware
valley.
We
are
losing
philadelphia
is
losing
to
our
surrounding
regions.
The
health
department
is
causing
us
to
lose.
M
M
It's
all
fueled
by
nothing
more
than
ego.
We
look
to
our
elected
officials,
all
of
you
that
would
be
to
be
solomon
in
this.
We
need
you
to
step
up
and
be
the
cool,
clear
voice
of
reason.
You
need
to
do
this.
You
need
to
be
the
elected
leaders.
We
chose
and
lead
us
through
these
issues.
We
need
you
to
help
align
philadelphia
with
the
state
which
will
help
eliminate
confusion
and
put
us
on
equal
footing
with
the
region
around
us.
M
On
a
side
note,
just
in
how
the
health
department
has
dealt
with
the
covid19
situation
in
general,
I'm
also
a
person
living
with
hiv,
one
of
those
that
was
deemed
ineligible
to
get
the
vaccine
in
philadelphia
county
when
other
hiv
individuals
in
the
state
could
get
it.
That
was
discrimination
period
between
that
the
philly
fighting
covid
scandal,
the
cancellation
of
more
than
30
000
vaccine
appointments
due
to
a
health
department
error,
and
this
failed
hvac
policy.
M
A
A
N
Merci,
mosquera
from
pierre
columbiana,
restaurant
and
mixto
restaurant
in
center
city
good
afternoon.
Everyone
and
thank
you
so
much
to
give
me
the
opportunity
to
express
ourselves
and
how
we
feel
we
are
31
years
in
a
restaurant
business
and
for
all
these
years
we
are
being
creating
a
lot
of
opportunities
of
jobs.
We
have
a
hundreds
of
employees,
you
know
in
these
years
it's
been
very
hard
for
us
the
last
year
and
having
so
many
problems
because
of
the
pandemic.
N
We
do
believe
and
work.
We
do
usually
we
work
more
than
15
hours
per
day,
seven
days
a
week.
Tierra
colombiana
is
not
just
a
restaurant,
it
was
a
nightclub
bar
and
a
nightclub
which
the
nightclub
it's
been
closed
for
more
than
one
year
and
the
same
as
the
bar,
the
restaurant,
it's
been
working.
I
have
the
the
whole
experience
of
being
working
since
march,
15
2020
every
day,
working
more
than
15
hours,
trying
to
create
ideas,
trying
to
work
and
make
sure
that
we
don't
have
to
close
the
business.
N
N
N
But
you
just
hear
from
two
other
businesses,
people
that
waitings
are
not
happening
in
philadelphia,
but
they
are
going
out
of
the
city
and
they
are
coming
back.
What
is
happening
with
those
cases
that
maybe
they
are
you
know
coming
from
new
jersey
or
from
the
other
cities
with
the
covet
and
helping
increasing
the
number?
N
N
N
N
We
need
support
to
not
just
close
the
doors
after
31
years,
working
so
many
hours
so
many
days
so
many
years,
and
just
because
we
don't
have
a
good,
probably
strategies,
and
maybe
because
we
don't
have
a
good
communication
between
the
health
department
and
other
members.
Other
you
know,
groups
of
people
who
are
supposed
to
organize
restaurants
are
paying
the
consequences.
N
N
It's
so
sad
that,
and
I'm
gonna
just
you
know,
share
something
with
you
yesterday.
I
was
working
in
one
of
the
restaurants,
mixture
and
customers
are
calling
saying
that
they
want
to
make
a
reservation
for
eight
people
or
for
10
people,
and
when
you
tell
them
that
we
are
not
allowed
that
four
people
are
maxed
indoors
and
outdoors
or
six
people
they
insult
us.
They
treat
us
like.
We
are
liars,
like
probably
like.
N
N
That's
a
big
loss
for
us.
We
are
losing
everyday
customers,
they
want
to
go
out
with
family,
they
want
to
go
out.
You
know
for
a
birthday
for
any
type
of
event,
and
we
have
to
say
no
and
we
have
to
let
them
to
go
somewhere
else.
So
we
need
to
work
to
together.
We
need
to
support
each
other.
We
need
to
stop
wasting
time.
It
is.
N
N
I
think
we
comply
with
most
of
the
the
the
rules
and
regulations.
What
else
we
need
to
do.
It's
not
just
about
the
restaurants,
it's
not
just
about.
If
we
are
doing
everything
in
the
restaurant,
it's
also
our
customers.
It's
also
understanding
that
doesn't
matter.
If
I
do
everything
what
I
have
to
do
in
my
business,
what
about
other
businesses
that
are,
you
know
doing
whatever
they
want?
I
am
a
witness
of
north
philadelphia.
Colombia.
N
We
need
to
be
together
to
help
the
city,
economy
and
businesses
economy.
We
need
to
support
each
other
and
we
need
to
really
look
for
good
solutions,
but
now
we
cannot
continue
2001
wasting
time.
This
is
about
economy
and
businesses,
and
I
do
understand
that
14
of
the
economy
in
philadelphia
comes
from
restaurants
in
food
services
as
a
hotels
or
catering,
we
lost
the
nightclub,
we
lost
the
catering
service
and
we
are
trying
to
survive
as
a
result.
N
O
B
O
O
So
obviously
you
know,
like
everyone
else
on
this
call.
It's
been
quite
a
challenge
for
us
and
we've
been
doing
everything
we
can
to
work
within
the
city's
guidelines,
in
particular,
where
they've
been
very
challenging,
especially
as
it
relates
to
indoor
dining
one
segment
of
the
industry
that
I
might
want
to
call
attention
to
are
restaurant
themes
that
are
bar
focused,
so
our
brew
pub
has
a
large
bar
in
the
middle
with
seating
around
it,
with
with
the
existing
restrictions
of
six
foot,
separation
and
tables
of
four.
O
O
O
So
I
I
would
just
ask
the
con,
the
health
department
and
council
to
consider
that
when
there's
just
too
many
restrictions
it
just
becomes
an
impossibility
to
comply
or
to
to
effectively
operate
your
restaurant.
I
should
say,
and
and
in
the
end,
if,
if
we're
so
different
in
philadelphia
than
all
the
neighboring
geographics
it
it's
really
not
effective.
I
don't
believe
because
I
think,
as
everyone
has
stated,
you
know,
while
we
can't
pick
up
our
business
and
leave
philadelphia,
our
customers
can
pick
up
and
go
elsewhere
and
they're
doing
it.
O
So
I
don't,
I
don't
know
that
we're
creating
a
safer
environment
one
way
or
the
other.
I
think
we're
just
telling
customers
to
not
come
here
if
your
group's
kind
of
big
or
you
want
to
sit
at
a
bar
indoors
or
things
of
that
nature
just
go
elsewhere
and
do
it
and
that's
what
they're
doing
or
stay
home
and
have
it
at
your
house
where
it's
less
safe.
So
just
as
a
matter
of
efficacy,
I
I
don't.
I
don't
believe
we're
getting
the
outcomes
we
want.
O
I
don't
believe
we're
seeing
better
coveted
outcomes
in
philadelphia
than
the
surrounding
areas
by
way
of
our
or
owner's
guidelines.
So
I
think
it
would
be
easier
for
us
as
business
owners
and
our
customers
if,
if
our
guidelines
were
the
same
as
the
the
rest
of
the
state
to
eliminate
confusion
and
to
give
everybody
the
opportunity
to
thrive
at
their
businesses
after
we've
all
been
through
so
much
so
that's
all.
I
had
to
offer.
Thank
you
again
for
your
time.
P
You
good
afternoon,
chairpersons,
bass
and
squilla
council
members,
commissioners,
directors,
business
owners
and
cities,
citizens
of
philadelphia.
Thank
you
for
your
time
today.
Before
I
begin,
I
would
like
to
know
if
there
is
anyone
from
the
health
department
currently
on
this
call
just
say
hello.
I
anything.
P
Great
thank
you.
I
would
like
to
speak
to
you
today,
not
as
the
vice
president
of
the
independence
business
alliance
or
lgbt
chamber
of
commerce
here
in
philadelphia,
but
instead
as
a
former
employee
of
one
of
the
bars
here
in
center
city,
I
applaud
the
efforts
of
those
who
have
helped
navigate
this
pandemic,
thus
far,
including
council
members,
including
alan
dom's
office.
The
streetery
group,
josh
stratton,
rainer
mike
carroll,
kristen
del
rossi,
and
many
many
more.
P
Their
efforts
to
work
with
the
businesses
and
listen
to
the
businesses
in
the
city
has
been
transformative
in
navigating
the
panda
pandemic
safely.
It
is
my
hope
that
more
of
us
can
be
heard
as
to
ensure
the
decision-making
positions
in
the
department
of
health
to
understand
the
full
effect
of
some
of
the
restrictions
placed
upon
the
hospitality
industry.
Well,
I'm
not
a
doctor,
nor
do
I
have
any
expertise
in
the
area
of
public
health.
What
I
do
know
about
is
equity
and
the
lack
thereof.
P
We
have
statistics
and
data
from
the
prla,
for
example,
on
how
marginalized
communities,
especially
communities
of
color,
have
been
disparately
affected
by
many
restrictions
to
small
bars,
restaurants
and
other
hospitality
businesses.
What
I
have
noticed
in
my
opinion,
is
a
lack
of
equity
when
it
comes
to
businesses
that
are
open
and
have
large
capacities
in
their
establishments
as
permitted
by
the
city
of
philadelphia,
department
of
health,
for
example.
At
some
point,
around
may
of
2020
grocery
stores
begin
to
allow
unlimited
access
without
any
type
of
count
or
restrictions
from
what
I
noticed.
P
There
were
no
restrictions
of
any
other
kind,
other
than
mask
wearing,
which
was
not
being
enforced.
As
I
continued
to
carefully
navigate
the
city,
I
would
visit
large
businesses
as
I
needed,
as
needed,
such
as
walmart
and
other
other
stores.
Rarely
with
any
capacity
restrictions
and
rare
mass
wearing
enforcement,
then
I
look
at
bars
and
restaurants.
I
feel
like
these
establishments
have
been
faced
with
the
brunt
of
the
restrictions
anytime.
P
When
I
look
at
the
big
picture
here,
I
hope
someone
can
explain
to
me
how
some
indoor
eating
type
events
like
business
meetings
are
permitted
with
people
from
different
households,
but
restaurants
cannot
do
the
same.
These
restaurants
and
bars
have
been
made
to
enact
new
policies
like
separation,
plexiglas,
plastic
curtains
face
shields,
in
addition
to
mass
and,
most
importantly,
to
have
to
pay
to
have
their
hvac
system
evaluated
and
upgraded,
costing
massive
amounts
of
money
that
these
restaurants
just
do
not
have
at
this
time.
P
Now,
when
you
look
at
these
hvac
requirements
for
bars
and
restaurants,
I
ask
how
is
this
necessary
when
schools
were
about
to
open
with
box
fans
and
windows?
I
understand
the
need
for
safety.
I
understand
the
need
to
cautiously
reopen
the
city
and
have
guidelines
in
place.
What
hasn't
occurred
is
a
greater
support
for
those
who
work
in
the
hospitality
industry,
which
is
one
of
the
key
stones
to
this
city.
P
Without
this
industry,
there
will
be
nothing
left
for
tourists
and
visitors
to
come
here
for,
as
essentially
decimating
the
city's
tax
revenue,
I'm
not
saying
to
throw
out
medical
science,
but
what
I
beg
of
you
is
to
work
with
the
other
departments
in
the
city
work
with
the
communities
work
with
the
business
owners
to
find
a
common
ground
as
a
pet
to
reopen
instead
of
hard-line
guidelines,
bestowed
upon
bars
and
restaurants,
such
as
the
cumbersome
and
excessively
expensive
hvac
requirements.
As
we
have
heard
today.
P
Many
of
these
businesses
have
not
been
heard
by
the
health
department
and
we
need
a
way
to
do
so.
Streetery,
l
and
I
and
our
council
members
have
worked
with
the
chambers
of
common
commerce,
the
prla
and
directly
with
the
businesses,
and
it
has
helped
along
this
process
all
the
way.
Why
can't
the
health
department
do
the
same?
So
I
so
again,
I
ask
someone
in
the
city
to
explain
to
all
of
us:
where
is
the
equity?
P
If
you're
going
to
enforce
rules
for
one
group
of
people
like
bars
and
restaurants,
please
do
it
to
all
groups
where
people
will
congregate.
This
means
schools,
grocery
outlets,
big
box
places,
in
addition
to
the
already
massively
regulated
bars
and
restaurants,
help
us
save
this
city
together.
Thank
you.
Q
Hi
everyone
thanks
for
the
opportunity
to
to
speak
today,
I'm
a
little
late
to
the
game,
but
the
I'd
like
to
echo
and
first
of
all,
I'd
like
to
thank
thank
jason,
jay,
melissa,
abram,
john
and
mercy
for
really
really
bringing
to
the
table.
You
know
what
I
think
a
lot
of
us
are
feeling
you
know
I
operate.
I
operate
four
businesses,
two
of
which
are
open
at
partial
capacity.
Q
Q
Q
That
are
a
little
more
open
than
us.
You
know
I
mean
we
all
know
other
people
that
operate
other
restaurants
and
other
places,
whether
it's
in
colorado
or
california
or
florida.
God
forbid,
you
say
florida
florida.
But
you
know
these
are
people
that
you
know
we
we
talk
to
and
they're
like
well
geez.
What's
it
like
to
operate,
what's
it
like
to
operate
in
in
philadelphia,
it's
very
different.
You
know
so
anyway,
I
would
I
wouldn't.
I
would
encourage
you
to
look
beyond
you
know
where
we
are
and
look.