Pennsylvania father and son restaurateurs Dimos and Christos Sacarellos said Friday they’re defying a state lockdown and reopening their business, “Round the Clock Diner.”
“[Customers] were telling us, ‘Please open up, please open up,'” Dimos told “Fox & Friends.” “We have … 160 people working in here. People try[ing] to support their families. And we decided to open up on Mother’s Day. People were overwhelming and everyone walking in the door said, ‘Thank you for opening. Thank you. Thank you.'”
“And we’re not little kids. We are not in a communist country,” Dimos continued. (RELATED: Judge Napolitano Urges People To Push Back ‘Unconstitutional’ Lockdowns)
“Next thing you know, the cops come down,” “Fox & Friends” co-host Brian Kilmeade replied. “Next thing you know, they start arresting people. Are you concerned about that?”
“Not at all. Not in York County. We have a beautiful, beautiful community. District Attorney Dave Sunday has been saying he is not going to prosecute,” said Christos.
“We have the state representative behind us,” said Dimos. “And we’ve got the community,” added Christos.
Democratic Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf ordered lockdowns early in the pandemic that have now provoked pushback from those wanting to reopen the state economy and get back to work. A group of business owners have petitioned the Supreme Court of the United States to force Wolf to end the state lockdown.
A report this week from investment bank JP Morgan found that COVID-19 infection rates are decreasing in states that have lifted their lockdown measures. (RELATED: Dr. Siegel Tell Tucker: Lockdown Producing ‘More Deaths From Despair‘ Than Coronavirus)
“Look, we flattened the curve,” Christos told Fox News. “We sat down, you know, and said ‘now it’s time to stand up and flatten the fear.’ … We are doing everything correctly.”
Dimos said the virus has killed very few people in York county, with a total of four deaths.
Christos said they are reopening carefully. “People are precautious. They are doing everything. We have people traveling hours away to come in and sit down and eat. We have done everything. We have done everything to accommodate the customers.”
“We are not out here doing something rogue,” he added. “You know, the density, the spacing, six foot. All of our employees wear face masks. We temperature check, temperature screen our employees before their shifts.”
“My father’s been in the business for 52 years,” Christos said. “I’m sure he knows something about food safety.”