'The constant adjustments over the last 18 months have been draining.' As the virus pandemic continues to cause disruption, small business owners are left trying to strike a balance between staying safe and getting back to being fully open.
But then came a surge in cases due to the delta variant, a push for vaccine mandates and a reluctant return to more COVID-19 precautions. Now, small business owners are left trying to strike a balance between staying safe and getting back to being fully open.
“It was engineered to be a restaurant with less employees,” Rowe said. Glass separates the kitchen and staff from customers, who order food from an app. When the kitchen is finished making the food, it’s placed an automat-style window, so workers don’t come into contact with customers. When case numbers started crawling up this summer, Lucey’s zip code became the third highest in the state for COVID-19 cases. They have a sign in the window that says a mask is required inside the store, but without state or city rules to back them up, they’re not enforcing it.“It’s hard. You don’t want to turn people away. But I want my staff to feel secure,” Lucey said, especially since two of her staff have medical conditions that make them more vulnerable.
“You can seem antagonistic when you’re trying to monitor people’s vaccination status,” she said. “It’s not ‘Hey, welcome in!’ which is what you have always wanted to do -- it’s a bit of a roadblock there.” She nixed the mask requirement July 1, after her staff was fully vaccinated, COVID-19 cases were declining and the CDC recommendations changed. But that was short-lived.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Covid-19: Three more Covid-related deaths and 1,115 new casesThe total number of coronavirus-linked deaths in NI since the start of the pandemic is 2,588.
Read more »
Covid-19: Europe's Covid hotspot and GP appointments not for allFive things you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic this Saturday.
Read more »
L.A. County Public Health Covid-19 Report: 28 New Deaths, 1,195 New Positive CasesOn Saturday, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health reported 28 new deaths from Covid-19, along with 1,195 new positive cases. The number of deaths and confirmed cases reported today ma…
Read more »
Small businesses navigate ever-changing COVID-19 realityFor a brief moment this summer, it seemed like small businesses might be getting a break from the relentless onslaught of the pandemic.
Read more »