Lacey Mayor 'Very Pleased' To See Indoor Dining Reopen

LACEY, NJ — Lacey often found itself at the center of the debate on indoor dining through Governor Phil Murphy's restrictions. While the Lakeside Diner received citations for allowing limited indoor dining, Lacey officials had pushed for the state to ease restrictions.

Mayor Steven Kennis is glad that will happen Friday, when the state allows restaurants to serve customers indoors at 25 percent capacity.

"I guess we’ve been sort of at the forefront because of Lakeside Diner," Kennis told Patch. "But I’m very pleased, and we’re just glad for the small businesses in town that they’re able to finally reopen in some capacity."

Even as the state moved closer to allowing indoor dining, its enforcement on Lakeside Diner intensified. Authorities changed the locks on the diner Aug. 21 — eight days after the Department of Health ordered its closure. Owner Brian Brindisi was later charged with violating a court order.

Officials asked Lacey's Department of Public Works to help board up the Lakeside Diner, but the township declined, Kennis tweeted Aug. 24.

"That was the first that I’ve been aware of that the state was looking to do something like this," Kennis said. "I don’t know what they were getting at. I was fairly alarmed that they were even discussing something like this."

Other states' hastiness can prove valuable to learning how to make indoor dining safe, according to the Ocean County Health Department.

“This is good news across the board for all these venues," OCHD Public Health Coordinator Daniel Regenye said in a statement. "But keep in mind that in just the last 2 months more than a dozen states have had to roll back indoor dining and other entertainment due to a significant spike in cases and increase in positivity rates."

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The Governor's Office holds a conference call every other week with the mayors of Ocean, Atlantic and Cape May Counties. Most mayors on the call have been advocating for indoor facilities to reopen in some capacity, Kennis says.

Kennis hopes to see the capacity limits increase "sooner or later," but he's happy with the current developments.

"I would argue that all jobs are essential when you’re trying to feed your family or pay your bills," he said. "If it’s 25 percent, if that’s what’s allowed now, I think that’s at least a step in the right direction."

Read more: NJ Coronavirus, Reopen Updates: Here's What You Need To Know

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