Opinion: Murphy gives good news to restaurants. They need more

New Jersey restauranteurs have become used to waiting for Gov. Phil Murphy‘s press conferences to find out what’s in store for them. The beleaguered industry is at the mercy of Murphy’s executive orders and decisions and it’s gotten to the point where it’s almost always bad news.

On Monday, if not a glimmer of hope at least they felt that ledge you feel that saves you when you’re falling down that steep mountain.

According to an article on NJ.com, Murphy said he has no plans to prohibit indoor dining, at least for now saying, “that is not, right now, on the table for us. If we saw explicit waves of transmission coming out of the indoor dining experience, obviously we’d have a different approach.”

With coronavirus cases rising, (even though the death rate has dropped considerably), Murphy‘s executive orders have continued to be severe. For instance, lately, we have seen a minimization of outdoor as well as indoor capacity limits, kids sports, etc.

But at least restaurant owners waiting for the other shoe to drop were relieved to hear this news. Even though it’s not great, at least it’s not worse. As usual, Murphy left the possibility open for everything to change at a moment’s notice. He is, after all, the boss.

But for now, restaurant owners in New Jersey can breathe a small sigh of relief to know that their businesses will not be even more negatively impacted than they already have been during this most difficult time.