I was reading how California has lifted restrictions on food trucks selling food at rest areas. That is common sense. And that got me thinking that we could be doing some common sense things to help our food establishments here in New Hampshire during the COVID-19 shutdowns.
There is a restaurant near my home in Nashua that has take out and they have outdoor seating. The seating is open and the restaurant workers can’t monitor it, so I assume people are using it.
And I have heard that other restaurants doing the same. I assume this is illegal under Gov. Sununu’s emergency orders, but it shouldn’t be.
Why doesn’t the Governor allow restaurants to open outdoor seating on decks, in courtyards, lawns, alleys, and sidewalks? The tables could be safely spaced away from passersby and each other.
Indoor spaces where people are all sharing the same air is a danger for spreading the virus. The virus is less likely to spread in the fresh air. This time of year heat lamps could make outdoor seating comfortable. And outdoor seating could help revive the fortunes of restaurants that must be financially failing a few at a time, every day the existing emergency rules against restaurant seating are kept in place, never to open again, taking someone’s hopes and dreams with them.
