During the coronavirus pandemic, regulations were put in place to reduce the spread, but that closed some small businesses and drove others to bankruptcy. The restrictions on indoor seating capacity hurt small restaurants with small margins that depend on in-person diners to stay afloat.

With coronavirus case numbers on the decline and vaccines being distributed daily, the government should relax restrictions to save small business owners from bankruptcy and to protect the economy.

Interviews with small business owners by the International Trade Commission reported that 55% said restrictions strongly affected their business, and according to Bloomberg, more than 110,000 restaurants nationwide have closed.

According to Statista.com, the restaurant industry is in an “economic free fall” and 87% of full-service restaurants have had a 36% sales decrease.

The activist group Rally For Restaurants urges people to support their local eateries before they close and disappear forever.

More increases in seating capacity should be allowed, and additional aid measures should be taken by local governments in order to preserve local commerce and protect small-restaurant owners. Although the American Rescue Plan was recently passed and will allocate $28.6 billion to a “restaurant revitalization fund,” immediate aid is needed on a more localized basis to preserve the hard work of small restaurant owners and their families. Some establishments do not have the financial stability to last until the larger national aid hits.