Rep. Bob Good (R-VA-05) is leading Virginia’s Republican congressional delegation in asking Gov. Ralph Northam (D) to loosen COVID-19 restrictions.
In a letter co-signed by Rep. Robert J. Wittman (R-VA-01), Rep. H. Morgan Griffith (R-VA-09), and Rep. Ben Cline (R-VA-06), Good asked Northam Monday on behalf of his constituents to give them a reprieve from COVID-19 restrictions, and allow them to get back to work.
Good’s letter focused primarily on the economic ramifications of the restrictions.
The letter said:
On behalf of all our constituents, we urge you to consider loosening the current COVID-19 economic restrictions that have been imposed since March 2020. We also ask that you provide the public a clear regulatory forecast, on a state-wide basis, to help job creators plan for the remainder of this year.
Businesses of all sizes have been impacted by the extensive slate of COVID-19 restrictions implemented throughout 2020, with small business bearing the brunt of the economic pain. For example, current regulations restrict business hours or penalize outdoor venues even if they comply with social distancing. Not only are these regulations inconsistently applied, but it seems to have little demonstrable impact on preserving public health.
Congress has spent trillions in economic stimulus and healthcare costs while the Federal Reserve has printed money to attempt to finance this historic level of federal spending. Despite these efforts, more businesses close every week across the Commonwealth.
He also noted that even some high-profile Democrats are beginning to move towards re-opening, including Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) of New York.
Last week, Cuomo tweeted that the state “simply cannot stay closed until the vaccine hits critical mass,” and that if it does, it will “have nothing left to reopen.”
We simply cannot stay closed until the vaccine hits critical mass. The cost is too high. We will have nothing left to open. We must reopen the economy, but we must do it smartly and safely.#SOTS2021
— Archive: Governor Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) January 11, 2021
Good also pleaded with Northam to give businesses some idea of when the restrictions would be lifted, so they can “allocate capital in response to policy decisions that are outside their control.”
He accompanied the letter with a statement.
“For almost an entire year, Virginia businesses have taken the brunt of the economic pain caused by lockdowns,” he said. “These arbitrary restrictions on businesses prevent them from creating long-term plans or providing stability for employees. I’m joining my colleagues to call on the Governor to rethink these lockdowns and provide clarity to businesses for when we will move toward opening up Virginia and lifting these restrictions.”
The Virginia Star reached out to Norfolk City Councilwoman Andria McClellan, a Democrat running for Lieutenant Governor, along with Sean Perryman, another Democrat running for the same position, and asked where they stood on the issue of loosening COVID-19 restrictions.
Neither returned the respective comment requests.
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Pete D’Abrosca is a contributor at The Virginia Star and The Star News Network. Follow Pete on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
