THREAD—Workers are getting laid off for a second time, as the virus’s surge puts reopenings on hold washingtonpost.com/business/2020/…
"When she was first furloughed in March, Randee Heitzmann knew how to make ends meet.
She deferred payments on her new Honda Civic, spent $3,000 in stimulus money and tax refunds on other payments, and drained her savings.
She deferred payments on her new Honda Civic, spent $3,000 in stimulus money and tax refunds on other payments, and drained her savings.
"Then she was called back to her job as a bartender at a cigar bar near Dallas for five weeks, taking home about $100 per shift, just 20 percent of what she was used to.
But on Friday, Heitzmann was cut loose again, hours before her shift was to begin.
But on Friday, Heitzmann was cut loose again, hours before her shift was to begin.
"'I don’t have any savings left,' the 28-year-old said. 'I don’t know how long it’s going to be before I get a paycheck again.'" Millions of American workers are suffering from economic whiplash, thinking they were finally returning to work only to be sent home again ...
"... because of the coronavirus’s latest surge. Stores, restaurants, gyms and other businesses that reopened weeks ago are shuttering once more, and this time Congress appears less inclined to provide additional aid.
"Other companies that had banked on customers returning and restrictions lifting — such as hotel chains, construction firms and movie theaters — are seeing hours cut and reopening dates pushed back indefinitely as consumer demand stalls.
"And many governors, including some who had drawn scrutiny for initially playing down the virus’s risks, are issuing new safety restrictions, in some cases just weeks after the first round of guidelines had begun to lift.
"In recent weeks, three states— California, Florida and Texas — have new policies that partly restrict restaurant or bar service. Nine others — Arkansas, Delaware, Idaho, Louisiana, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico and North Carolina — postponed or slowed reopening plans.
"Thousands of workers are caught in these rapidly shifting seas, many of them hourly and low-wage service employees, and are now facing unemployment for a second time.
"They say the past few months have been jarring: navigating unemployment in March, preparing to go back to work in April or May, and now confronting the prospect of another long stretch without a paycheck.
"This time, many say they’re on even shakier financial ground as they topple into yet another period without a job. They face what experts have begun calling a 'fiscal cliff': the July end date for the $600 in weekly supplemental aid that has helped keep so many families afloat.
"'Luckily, I have rent for this month,' said Heitzmann, who pays $1,200 a month for a one-bedroom apartment. ;But after that, I don’t know.'"
"In Phoenix, more than a dozen restaurants closed in early June after customers or employees were found to have been infected with the virus. In Jacksonville, Fla., restaurants began closing after cases rose there — in one outbreak, 16 friends tested positive for Covid ...
"... after dining at an Irish pub, where seven employees later tested positive. In Houston, restaurant owners are warning that they may not survive the new round of closures. In California, Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) ordered bars closed in seven counties, including Los Angeles.
"Kell Duncan, who operates the Churchill, an indoor market in Phoenix with 10 shops and restaurants, described the bind restaurant owners have found themselves in with the caseload surging.
"After cases crossed the 40,000 threshold in Arizona, he closed down the business and sent all 30 employees home for the second time — just a month after reopening — knowing that if he stayed open, someone would probably get sick.
"'We’ve been lucky,' he said. 'Ultimately, we said, ‘This just feels wrong. Let’s close and wait this thing out.'"
Sherry Weir, who owns Big O’s Simply Delicious outside Fort Worth, made a similar choice, voluntarily shutting down her restaurant and deli on Friday.
Sherry Weir, who owns Big O’s Simply Delicious outside Fort Worth, made a similar choice, voluntarily shutting down her restaurant and deli on Friday.
"This new round of closures points to the significant challenges that will exist until a coronavirus treatment or vaccine is developed.
The rising number of cases has sent a cascade of fear across other industries, too, not just those directly affected by shutdowns."
The rising number of cases has sent a cascade of fear across other industries, too, not just those directly affected by shutdowns."
