XIARHOS CALLS ON STATE ADVISORY BOARD TO REOPEN MASSACHUSETTS FASTER
June 18, 2020
BARNSTABLE – Steven Xiarhos, Republican candidate for State Representative in the 5th Barnstable District, issued a call today for the Advisory Board overseeing the reopening of the Massachusetts economy to accelerate the pace of reopening businesses, particularly on Cape Cod.
“I do not claim to be a public health professional, but recent reports indicate the current experience with COVID-19 in Massachusetts does not merit the current level of restrictions and closures that still remain in effect,” Xiarhos said in a letter to the board he released today. While safety is always foremost and could merit some ongoing restrictions and limits, I believe we can and must do better to reopen our economy faster.”
Xiarhos’ comments follow a prior statement he made a month ago advocating that businesses on Cape Cod be allowed to reopen prior to the Memorial Day holiday weekend. In the intervening time, while some businesses have been permitted to expand their operations, many still remain closed while others are operating at reduced capacity with substantial restrictions.
Speaking of the limited reopening occasioned by improvements in medical testing statewide, Xiarhos said, “I am grateful for these developments. However, I believe our state is still significantly far behind many other states when it comes to our level of reopening.”
Urging a prompt and more expansive reopening of small businesses, restaurants, and schools (in the fall), Xiarhos concluded his letter to the board, “Let’s reopen our way of life and bring back the essence of what makes us love calling the Bay State our home. Let’s do it safely, but let’s not wait to do it any longer.”
The full text of Xiarhos’ letter to the Massachusetts Reopening Advisory Board follows below:
June 18, 2020
Dear Members of the Massachusetts Reopening Advisory Board:
A month ago today, I wrote to you urging that businesses on Cape Cod be allowed to reopen under expanded guidelines prior to the Memorial Day holiday weekend.
Since then, our state has seen a significant reduction in the number of positive test results, hospitalizations, and deaths related to COVID-19. This has prompted the reopening of some businesses and other facilities within our state, albeit with substantial guidelines in place to limit person-to-person spread. I am grateful for these developments.
However, I believe our state is still significantly far behind many other states when it comes to our level of reopening. I do not claim to be a public health professional, but recent reports indicate the current experience with COVID-19 in Massachusetts does not merit the current level of restrictions and closures that still remain in effect. While safety is always foremost and could merit some ongoing restrictions and limitations, I believe we can and must do better to reopen our economy faster.
Ongoing restrictions and closures, however well-intentioned, continue to imperil the financial viability of many Massachusetts businesses. This, in turn, continues to compound the economic impact of COVID-19 on working families in our state, many of whom have been stressed to the max in recent months. This is particularly true here on Cape Cod, where I reside, and where summer business activity is especially crucial to our regional economy. Ultimately, the reduction in economic activity occasioned by these measures also will have a trickle-down effect on our communities, where lost revenue will impact essential services like public safety and education.
Today, as we head toward Independence Day in a few weeks, I urge you to accelerate the pace of reopening in our state and allow our businesses and schools to reopen as quickly and expansively as possible. Let’s reopen our economy. Let’s reopen our small businesses. Let’s reopen our restaurants. Let’s reopen learning at our schools (this fall). Let’s reopen our way of life and bring back the essence of what makes us love calling the Bay State our home. Let’s do it safely, but let’s not wait to do it any longer.
Small businesses and working families in our state are depending on every possible advantage to be able to make ends meet and support themselves in these challenging times. I support them, and I urge you to do everything you can to support them too.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Steven G. Xiarhos