BUTTE — The pandemic has hit businesses hard and some Butte businesses are not happy about the local COVID-19 health mandates that were passed.
Sonia Zachow, owner and chef atLa Casa Toscana, has organized a meeting with J.P Gallagher, Julie Jaksha, and other small business owners to address the local COVID-19 mandates that were passed and how small businesses are suffering.
"I mean we have the health department dictating what we can and can’t do and it’s really put a lot of pressure on business owners like myself," Zachow said.
Zachow said that the health department should not be punishing small businesses when, in her opinion, they have no qualifications to pass the mandates.
"I'm just tired of it you know when they come in and oh you guys gotta do- put your signs up and you gotta do this and you gotta do that well I’ve gone above and beyond their request and you know they all pop in and they’re doing what they need to do and I certainly understand that these are people like I said that don’t even have credentials to tell us what to do," Zachow said.
Karen Sullivan said that the board of health decides what the restrictions are and will continue as such.
"So the fact that businesses want to open and be open until 2 am, serve alcohol, get back to normal is a little premature," Sullivan said.
The meeting will take place Monday at two o’clock. Zachow encourages all business owners to attend.
"I hope that all the business owners definitely step up and start defending our businesses because you know as of right now smaller departments aren’t helping us and we need Governor Gianforte and Mr. Gallagher to help us through this," Zachow said.
