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Colorado businesses form pact to fight coronavirus restrictions

2020-12-01 | 🔗
Colorado bar owner Morgen Harrington joined the group fighting COVID-19 orders in the state saying, 'We won't survive another shutdown.'
This is an unofficial transcript meant for reference. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
Republican presidential field, Brian small businesses, fighting for survival as rerestrictions tighten up across the country out in Colorado. One hundred businesses are making a pact to keep operating. Despite increased lockdowns warning. If they shut down again, they will never reopen joining us. Now is Morgan Harrington. She is the cfo of grim brothers, brew house, which has signed onto the pact Morgan. Was this a tough decision for you? It was. This is not anything these businesses take lightly Brian. What did you learn in the three month? Shutdown that you experienced already that left you in your mind, no other choice that we wouldnt survive. Another shut down. Brian? Did you get any government aid to bring you through to this point? We did, but not enough to bring back our original staff and certainly not enough to keep
our business afloat on another open ended, shut down Brian you didnt open up business as usual. You made adjust you meants right. What adjustments did you make in compliance with what your state wanted? We spent thousands of dollars to make big time changes to our business and removed fifty percent of our seating. Brian. You were able to eke out a living, and then you find out you are going to be struck down again now. Has politician come down and said here is what im up against? What can you do for us? How can we work together? No Brian, you would have been open to that right, yeah thats, the whole point of why we got together and did this right was to kind of give a cry for help so that someone would step in and help us come up with policies that would make more sense Brian. If they want to come in and crack down on you, they will be successful. Are you going to crack down on one hundred small businesses from gyms to retail, to bars to restaurants?
I hope the answer is no, but they got this power of taking lookalikes and destroy a business instantly. Look at restrictions take out dining closed. Curbside delivery allowed only meet with members of your household last call on premises. 800 p, dot M bars must close when you heard about those restrictions, your thoughts you for us that was really scary. We dont have an outdoor patio and we are only allowed to use our parking lot for extended patio seating on Saturday and Sunday. That would mean that we would be closed exception for two days a week, thats not enough for us to pay our bills Brian. What does your business mean to you, its everything for us? We dont have another option, Brian. What about the people that work for you yeah thats, a big support of why we all decided to do this? I cant look my staff in the face and lay them off again. I refuse to do that right before Christmas.
We have got one woman that is pregnant and she was in my office crying. I couldnt do that Brian, how many cases tied back to your restaurant since it reopened None Brian. How frustrated do you feel right now were incredibly frustrated? The grocery stores are allowed to operate under fewer restrictions than we had before the shutdown and its a madhouse when you go in there and we cant operate with incredibly strict restrictions. That feels like a direct attack on small businesses. Brian. I wanted you to hear what the governor said. I am sure you heard the statement. The governor has great sympathy with every small business wanting to stay open and one reasons Colorado is one of the first states to reopen and avoid a lock down like neighboring states have also why he called for a special session wave fees for Colorado, restaurants and bars.
The hard truth is that this is the worst point in the pandemic. Our nation has faced yet go back to bars and restaurants. What about yours and whats? Your reaction to that statement, as we close yeah bars and restaurants, are not the main source of this spread, but they are the main. The brunt of this back, the thats not a logical way to go about this, a conversation to better come up with policies that fit for everybody, Brian, you elected them to serve you. Instead, they and looking out for your interest. They are destroying you, and now they are going to be destroying one hundred businesses. Together, we will see if there is strength in numbers. I know a lot of states across the country are looking at this wondering how this comes out. Morgan hang in there thanks so much for joining us and telling.
Transcript generated on 2020-12-01.