Gas Station Owners Ask Murphy to Allow Self-Service During Pandemic

Some attendants are already sick; social distancing is impossible at the pump; stations are cutting back hours or shutting down entirely

By Tom Johnson, NJSpotlight

With gas stations closing as attendants quit because they’re afraid of contracting COVID-19, a trade organization is asking the Murphy administration to lift temporarily the ban on self-service gasoline.

In a series of letters to Gov. Phil Murphy, the New Jersey Gasoline, C-Store, and Automotive Association is urging the state to allow self-service stations as a way of easing the staffing concerns and other issues its members are facing due to the outbreak of the coronavirus.

Attendants at gasoline stations — some of whom have already tested positive for the coronavirus — are walking off their jobs. Owners are trimming back how long the stations are open. Some owners are worried that if the pandemic persists they may end up closing their stations permanently, according to Sal Risalvato, executive director of the association.

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