DOHMH To Issue New Policy For Restaurant Owners Facing Burdensome Covid Fines, To Include Cure Periods, Help Small Business Owners
Statement from Borough President Vito J. Fossella regarding DOHMH new policy addressing Cure Periods for Restaurant and Tavern Owners
Over the past few months, we have met with Staten Island restaurant and tavern owners. One of their concerns is to have a cure period following the issue of some non-emergency and non-life threatening violations. We notified the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to consider these requests, and fortunately, they are willing to accommodate these needs by crafting a new policy. This policy will include cure periods.
We commend Mayor Adams and DOHMH Commissioner Vasan for supporting small business services and syncing this new policy with the Mayor’s Executive Order 2 so it works in the best interest of both the business community, and the safety of the public.
This is an important step forward after the pandemic forced hardships on many businesses, in particular restaurants and taverns. We look forward to the opportunity to review the new policy. Our hope is that it will serve to prop up Staten Island business owners.
In our initial request to DOHMH earlier this year regarding reasonable cure periods, I was joined by the four other borough presidents – Bronx BP Vanessa Gibson, Brooklyn BP Antonio Reynoso, Manhattan BP Mark Levine, and Queens BP Donovan Richards – and thank them for their commitment to supporting businesses citywide.
I also want to thank our Staten Island elected officials for joining in on this effort and working as a delegation to address the possibility of reasonable cure periods before imposition of fines including Councilmembers Joseph Borelli, David Carr, and Kamillah Hanks; Senator Andrew Lanza; Senator Diane Savino; Congressmember Nicole Malliotakis; Assemblymembers Michael Cusick, Michael Reilly, and Michael Tannousis.
This effort is good news for business in all five boroughs, and we anticipate a new policy to be issued on the DOHMH’s website in the near future.
BP Vito Fossella
The Office of the Borough President has a responsibility to advocate for the entire Borough of Staten Island and all its residents, and represents the Borough's interests within City government. The Borough President communicates directly with the Mayor and the City Council to emphasize Staten Island’s budget priorities. In addition, the Borough President is responsible for reviewing major land use decisions and proposing sites for city facilities within the Borough. As the chair of the Borough Board, the Borough President leads Staten Island’s City Council delegation and Community Board chairs in the process of reviewing and approving the transfer of public properties to private use. The Borough President’s Office houses the Borough's Topographical Bureau, which maintains the borough’s official maps and assigns street addresses. The Borough President monitors the delivery of city services on Staten Island, and acts as a liaison between residents and city agencies when problems arise to devise solutions. The Borough President is also responsible for appointing one member to the Panel for Educational Policy and one member to the City Planning Commission, as well as some 150 members to Staten Island’s three community boards.
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