Why is Jersey City shutting down outdoor dining structures?
Updated Dec 14, 2020;
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Jersey City officials have shut down eight outdoor dining structures this month, an apparent crackdown on the outdoor “parklets” that have sprung up in response to COVID-19 restrictions.
The crackdown, which appears to be in response to outdoor dining guidelines issued by the state Department of Community Affairs last month, is likely to inject further uncertainty into an already anxious time for the industry. An estimated one-third of New Jersey small businesses have closed during the pandemic, with restaurants and bars hit particularly hard.
And, after the governors of New York and Pennsylvania ordered a halt to indoor dining last week, some fear that New Jersey will be next.