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Nearly 3 million people have signed restaurant owner's online petition

Duo restaurant owner Stephanie Bonin created the change.org petition months ago but said over the last couple of weeks it has been reignited.

DENVER — A Denver business owner is challenging Congress to consider additional stimulus checks, as the country endures a wave of the highly contagious COVID-19 delta variant.

Duo restaurant owner Stephanie Bonin created the change.org petition months ago but told 9NEWS over the last couple of weeks it was reignited.

"What is the change that is going to come out of COVID to make sure that we always have each others back?" Bonin said she has wondered as she watched many of her colleagues in the restaurant industry struggle. 

"Right now feels extra important with the petition because the delta has become the next thing." 

Bonin said during the pandemic her self-employed husband lost his entire income. While they have managed to keep the restaurant running, she fears she may be seeing the start of another slow down. 

"One of the indicators that we're seeing is our to-go orders are going back up," she explained.  

"Once the vaccines came out it was just a nose dive, people were ready to not do to-go orders anymore and I think it was four weeks ago all of the sudden that reluctancy came in the form of, 'I'm going to go back to just ordering curbside.'"  

RELATED: Yes, scammers are making fake unclaimed stimulus check websites

Bonin's petition asks Congress to implement $2,000 stimulus checks and to create a contingency plan that activates when the economy hits a certain low point. The online petition has garnered nearly three million signatures.

"I think a lot of us struggle with how long it takes to make a decision in Washington," Bonin said. "And I think a lot of us would like to feel that they can be as nimble as we need them to be so we can feel like we’re in this together." 

Its unclear if Congress is aware of Bonin's petition or if they'll consider issuing more stimulus checks. Last month, eligible families started to get monthly payments from the expanded child tax credit but that doesn't give an economic boost to people without children. 

RELATED: Fourth stimulus check update: More Democrats push Biden for recurring checks

RELATED: Tens of thousands of Coloradans about to lose pandemic unemployment benefits

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