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COVID-19 In Pittsburgh: Businesses Will Have To Make Tough Decisions As New Restrictions Loom

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Businesses will soon have to make tough decisions as new statewide coronavirus restrictions begin at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday.

Under Governor Tom Wolf's new restrictions, indoor dining, indoor gym activity, youth sports, high school sports, entertainment venues, indoor gatherings of 10 or more and outdoor gatherings of 50 or more will be suspended through Jan. 4, 2021.

The restrictions are a devastating blow to Pete Tolman, the owner of Iron Born Pizza, who told KDKA that layoffs are now looming because of the anticipated financial losses.

"Christmas is one of our busiest times. Restaurant owners save this type of money to get us through January and February, which are typically the slowest," said Tolman.

The lights were out inside 6ycle on Friday afternoon. The business hosts cycling classes on the South Side. The wheels of financial ruin are turning there, too.

"If they're going to force us to close our business, then they need to hand us a check because our landlords still want their rent. Our utility providers still want their bills paid," said co-owner Jessica Sims.

Under the new restrictions, other in-person businesses — including salons and barbershops — can stay open with 50 percent capacity.

This leaves Nikki Becker, the owner of Blic.Bronze.Beauty, breathing a sigh of relief.

"It makes me really sad to think there's going to be people without income during the holiday. If we had to shut down right before the holiday, I'm not sure my business would have made it out," Becker told KDKA.

The Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership also announced that the People's Gas Holiday Market, Merry Market Pop-Up and Santa Zoom Experience will close for the season at 9:30 p.m. on Friday because of the new statewide restrictions and rising coronavirus cases.

Some of the shops are now moving online. Updates can be found here.

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