Indiana businesses monitor COVID restrictions in neighboring states
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Businesses in Indiana are set to make changes while Indianapolis continues to see a significant rise in COVID-19 hospitalizations.
“Basically right now, we just don’t know what’s going to happen. We’re all in the dark,” said Angela Stergiopoulous, the owner of Greek Islands Restaurant.
Businesses are monitoring new COVID restrictions in neighboring states while the country watches case numbers soar.
“We do what we do to keep the folks safe and we just address these things as they come to us,” said Mike Angel, the owner of Square Cat Vinyl, which sells records, coffee and beer amid live musical performances.
Angel, who also owns Snakeroot Botanicals garden center, says to police customers puts a lot of pressure on businesses. While no mandate has been made in Indianapolis, Angel says keeping his staff and customers safe is at the top of his priority list.
“Most of the music venues in the city have already done that for live concerts, and we did that, and we haven’t really talked about it for any other day-to-day operations. I guess we’ll address that if we get to that point as a city. Hopefully, we don’t get to that point,” Angel said.
Greek Islands Restaurant’s operators as well as other restaurant proprietors say the lack of workers and a vaccination-card requirement could make business a lot harder.
“Well, for us, I mean, to add that to restaurants, kind of not fair, you know, as far as the fact that we’re going to have to check vaccine cards when we’re already having trouble, you know, taking care of our guests,” Stergiopoulous said.
Stergiopoulous says, with large events happening in the city, adding yet another obstacle on businesses would be unfair.
“I’m not in favor of it because it’s not fair. I mean we’re going to do whatever is asked of us just like everybody else, but, in turn, we also have to look at the big picture and see that if we’re having all these public events and we’re not social distancing and then we expect restaurants to mandate and check vaccine cards, where’s the fairness in that?” Stergiopoulous said.