Some restaurant and business owners in New York City who aren’t happy with Mayor Bill de Blasio’s orders that restaurant, gym and entertainment venue patrons be vaccinated or barred from their establishments are looking to the courts for relief. They sued, hoping for a court order to block the requirement, saying the mandate will severely impact their livelihoods.

The suit represents owners of about 50 businesses in Staten Island and the Bay Ridge area of Brooklyn who called the requirement “irrational” and questioned the efficacy of the vaccines. They say it’s unfair because the mandate does not apply to many other places where large numbers of people congregate, such as pharmacies, grocery stores and churches.

Citing statistics from December 2020, before the more contagious Delta variant emerged, the suit claims most of the state’s infections came from social gatherings in private homes. In court documents, business owners say they have been “struggling to bounce back” since Gov. Andrew Cuomo lifted all COVID limits in mid-June.

SOURCE: Washington Post August 19, 2021