Latest Coronavirus Restrictions Could Doom an Entire Commercial District on Staten Island

NEW YORK — City Councilman Joe Borelli has represented Staten Island's South Shore for five years.

"We're past the point of hypothesizing which businesses are closing, because we're already seeing businesses close,” Borelli explains.

On a cold, late autumn afternoon, parts of Hylan Boulevard are deserted. Many storefronts are vacant and others have precious few customers. For sale signs wave from the awnings, padlocks keep the front gates locked, and store owners post neatly typed notes of apology to customers who aren't allowed inside.

Borelli visits Tina's Whiskey Tavern, where just a single worker sits inside, listening to music and passing the time waiting for a lunch crowd that won't come.

Read more: https://www.ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/coronavirus/2020/12/08/nyc-coronavirus-staten-island-businsses-great-kills-struggle-to-survive-with-restrictions
(Spectrum News)