O’Scanlon & Bucco Launch Online Petition Urging Governor Murphy to Lift 10 PM Bar/Restaurant Curfew for Super Bowl

Senator Declan O’Scanlon and Senator Anthony M. Bucco launched an online petition urging Governor Phil Murphy to lift his 10 p.m. curfew on bars and restaurants for the Super Bowl.

“The governor has said that there’s no evidence that indoor dining has led to coronavirus transmission, yet he’s sticking by arbitrary operating restrictions that have done nothing but hurt our community bars and restaurants and the many thousands of people they employ,” said O’Scanlon (R-13). “While I think the 10 p.m. curfew needs to be eliminated going forward and the 25% indoor capacity raised significantly, the least Governor Murphy can do is let people enjoy the entirety of the Super Bowl at their favorite establishment without forcing them to go home before the end of the game.”

Under executive orders imposed unilaterally by Governor Murphy, the indoor areas of bars and restaurants are limited to 25% capacity and are subject to a mandatory 10 p.m. closing time.

According to a 2019 article by Sports Illustrated, the average length of the Super Bowl in the prior five years was 3 hours and 39 minutes, while a game that reaches overtime could surpass 4 hours in length.

With kickoff set for 6:30 p.m. this year, it’s likely that New Jersey’s bars and restaurants will be forced to send their customers home before the end of the game unless the governor lifts his 10 p.m. curfew.

“People have been cooped up in their homes for nearly a year now, and many will want to watch the Super Bowl in a social setting,” added Bucco (R-25). “By telling people they won’t be able to watch the full game in a bar or restaurant where social distancing and other sanitary measures are employed, Governor Murphy will simply be driving them to attend unregulated house parties where people are much more likely to get sick. It makes no sense. As a bonus, if the governor lifts the bar and restaurant curfew for the Super Bowl and we see there’s no attributable bump in cases, that makes the case for lifting his arbitrary curfew restrictions going forward.”

The new online petition urging Governor Murphy to lift the 10 p.m. curfew on bars and restaurants for the Super Bowl can be signed at http://senatenj.com/superbowl.