Local officials and business trade groups throughout the state have questioned the rationale behind the decision and have called on Murphy to immediately change course, warning that further delay would cause irreversible economic harm to businesses and employees.

Following an announcement last week that indoor fitness centers could resume operations, Michele Siekerka, the president and CEO of the New Jersey Business and Industry Association, said the nation’s largest business owners’ organization was “disappointed that the governor’s current prohibition on indoor dining remains unchanged, even as neighboring states have already moved forward to lift restrictions.”

“Many restaurants were already prepared for the original July 2 reopening at 25% capacity before the governor changed his mind,” Siekerka said. “The odds are still long for restaurants to thrive with limited indoor capacity, particularly as we steer toward colder weather in the coming months when outdoor dining will not be as feasible. Continuing a ban on indoor dining, even as schools, health and fitness centers, and other businesses reopen, makes no sense and could be the death knell for many restaurants.”

Area politicians are of the same mind on indoor dining. State Sen. Chris Brown, R-Atlantic, and Assemblymen Vince Mazzeo and John Armato, both D-Atlantic, have each expressed support for reopening indoor dining. The Atlantic County Board of Chosen Freeholders unanimously voted in favor of a resolution urging Murphy to allow restaurants and bars to open their doors.

“We have already lost Memorial Day and Fourth of July business and are fast approaching Labor Day and the fall season with no indication that the governor will permit indoor dining and entertainment anytime soon,” Atlantic County Executive Dennis Levinson said earlier this month. “Our restaurants are dying on the vine and cannot survive on just take-out, delivery and curbside service alone. ... We’re fighting for our economic lives here and we need the governor to take action.”

Michael Chait, president of the Greater Atlantic City Chamber, said restaurants and bars had “significant, additional operational costs” this summer because of having to purchase personal protective equipment for employees, take-out packaging and tenting “all while losing an enormous portion of their seasonal revenue which carries them through the offseason.”

“Outdoor dining will soon lose its appeal as the summer is ending,” he said. “We need to responsibly move indoors for the long-term survival of the restaurant industry and maybe our region.”

Thus far, the pleas have gone unanswered. The governor has not provided any public health benchmarks that would permit the food and beverage industry to reopen indoor dining rooms or given a clear indication about when the restriction might end.

The absence of information only compounds the frustration for people who have been out or work for more than five months, Weyler said.

“At least let us know, give us some hope so we can prepare,” she said. “Because if we’re not going to get back to work, we have to figure out another line of work. We just want some communication.”