Pennsylvania restaurant owners defy coronavirus orders: 'These are unconstitutional'
Pennsylvania's indoor dining ban went into effect at 12:01 am Saturday and will end at 8 am January 4
Two Pennsylvania restaurant owners are defying the state’s recent indoor dining ban for a second time.
“We’re trying to survive. We’ll stay open because we have no other alternative,” co-owner of Round the Clock diner Dimos Sacarellos told FOX Business’ “Varney & Co.”
Dimos said a “shutdown is going to disturb the holiday” season.
“We’re going to do what we do,” Sacarellos said.
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Dimos' comments came after Pennsylvania pushed new coronavirus restrictions as cases soared in the state.
Gov. Tom Wolf held a press conference on Thursday afternoon announcing the newest rules, which include a ban on all indoor dining, as well as closing gyms, theaters and other indoor entertainment for three weeks. Outdoor dining and takeout are allowed to remain open.
The rules went into effect at 12:01 a.m. Saturday and will end at 8 a.m. on January 4.
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Appearing beside Dimos, co-owner Christos Sacarellos claimed after they defied the previous shutdown indoor dining ban, their licence could not be revoked because the “mandates were unconstitutional” and had “no standing in court.”
“All of those mandates are not laws. They got kicked out in court. Nothing is coming of this. It has no standing in court. These are just mandates, they’re unconstitutional, they have no standing,” Christos said.
Christos said people are still patronizing their restaurant and called for fellow proprietors to stand up for their businesses.
“Just stand up--this is your business that you fought for," he said. "This is what people need to do. Open the places up, conduct them responsibly and, you know, champion liberty, protect the vulnerable, reopen the economy. This is all the things you can do.”
Pennsylvania reported 248 COVID-related deaths on Thursday, bringing the total to more than 12,000 in the state since the pandemic hit. There have been 450,924 confirmed cases overall in Pennsylvania, according to data from Johns Hopkins.
Fox News' Alexandra Deabler contributed to this report.