But it is that limited basis — no more than 25 people or 25 percent capacity for restaurants — that has been a cause for concern, Renna said.

"Generally, things are doing better," Renna said. "It's really the limited capacity for restaurants that we are now officially starting to see restaurants close their doors."

She said she's seen three restaurants in South Jersey, none of which are in Camden County, close their doors recently.

"These restaurants had no capability to do outdoor dining, and takeout wasn't strong for them," Renna said. "So why keep going?"

She also said that as it gets colder outside, outdoor dining is becoming less and less of an option.
The weather wasn't good over the summer either, with debilitating heat and strong storms causing problems for multiple businesses. See related: Gloucester Township Woman's Dreams Hit Hard By Coronavirus

She said a second round of stimulus money from the federal government might have staved off restaurant closures. But while the debate over that money rages at the federal level, local businesses aren't left with many options.

"If they knew that money was coming, they might be willing to put their expenses on a credit card, knowing they would get paid back," Renna said. "But without knowing if that money was coming, they weren't willing to pull out the credit card."

She wants to see indoor capacity limits increased for New Jersey's restaurants, but knows it's contingent on coronavirus case numbers staying low.

As of Tuesday, there were 10,652 cases of the coronavirus in Camden County with 552 confirmed deaths. There were only 16 new cases identified in the county on Tuesday, though, and no new deaths have been reported in Camden County in a week.

"Understanding the demographics of who is contracting COVID goes a long way to the restaurant association's and the restaurant industry's argument that indoor dining is not where people are catching COVID," Renna said.

"My feeling is that restaurants in Camden County are being run in a very safe fashion," Cappelli said. "I really feel little if any risk at all. I think restaurateurs really get it, and are really providing a safe environment."

As far as Renna is concerned, the point that seems to get lost is no one is forcing anyone to eat out.

"There is still an element of personal choice and personal freedom involved, so if you are high-risk or if you are uncomfortable generally with indoor dining, no one's blindfolding you and dragging you to go eat inside," Renna said. "So why not give these restaurants a chance to survive is all organizations like the South Jersey Chamber are saying."

See more stories about New Jersey's coronavirus recovery.