MORIARTY, N.M. (KRQE) – A Moriarty restaurant is taking a stand, posting a video to social media slamming the governor’s new requirements for restaurants that go into effect Friday. One Moriarty restaurant says it will not follow the governor’s new COVID-safe practices.
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced earlier this week additional requirements for restaurants if they want to continue indoor dining to include completion of a training program, spot testing employees, and keeping a log of all dine-in customers to help with contact tracing.
Shorty’s Bar-Be-Cue says the restaurant will move back to only curbside and to-go next week, saying that it is the only way they don’t have to comply with what the governor is asking them to do. “If you don’t want to abide by the rules, you got to shut down or get fined,” said Duane Matthews, who works in the area.
Some around town applauded the restaurant taking a stand. “I agree with them. I agree with Shorty’s. This whole epidemic thing is getting out of hand. You have restaurants going out of business; People on layoff; People losing houses; It is ridiculous,” said Vickie Beckwith, who also lives in the area.
Others say the new requirements are a good idea. “They have their own right to take a stand, but you got to look out for everybody’s safety too you know. The cases keep going up, when they were going down. You got to do something. You got to try something different to get it to go away eventually,” Matthews said.
The restaurant says they are taking precautions like wiping down doorknobs and other high touchpoints but they are not willing to follow the governor’s new set of requirements. KRQE News 13 reached out to the Governor’s Office for a response to the video posted to Shorty’s Facebook page but did not hear back.
