- Title: "Everybody's worried": California businesses fear second shutdown
- Date: 1st December 2020
- Summary: WHITTIER, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (NOVEMBER 30, 2020) (REUTERS) CHRISTINE RAMIREZ MANAGER AT SUPER MEX WALKING OUT OF THE RESTAURANT TO OUTDOOR IMPROVISED PATIO DINING AREA EMPTY OUTDOOR PATIO DINING AREA (SOUNDBITE) (English) CHRISTINE RAMIREZ, MANAGER AT SUPER MEX RESTAURANT, SAYING: "We all closed down. I mean, we went from, you know, ten tables, chairs out here, more patio space to nothing." VARIOUS OF CHRISTINE RAMIREZ MANAGER AT SUPER MEX RESTAURANT STANDING OUTSIDE SIGN OUTSIDE OF SUPER MEX RESTAURANT ANNOUNCING TAKE OUT SCHEDULE CHRISTINE RAMIREZ MANAGER AT SUPER MEX RESTAURANT AT CASHIER (SOUNDBITE) (English) CHRISTINE RAMIREZ, MANAGER AT SUPER MEX RESTAURANT, SAYING: "It's been more than half cut. We've had to cut our employees substantially and our orders. I mean, as you can see now, no phones, no customers, it's been really bad, really bad." EMPTY RESTAURANT CHAIRS PILED UP VARIOUS OF CHRISTINE RAMIREZ MANAGER AT SUPER MEX RESTAURANT AT CASHIER (SOUNDBITE) (English) CHRISTINE RAMIREZ, MANAGER AT SUPER MEX RESTAURANT, SAYING: "So it's everybody's, everybody's worried. I mean, we're just, you know, hanging in there and doing the best that we can." SIGN THAT READS "SUPPORT LOCAL BUSINESSES RESERVED FOR CURBSIDE PICK UP ONLY" VARIOUS OF EMPTY OUTDOOR DINING AREA WITH CHAIRS ON TOP OF TABLES VARIOUS OF JONATHAN QUEZADA, MANAGER AT ART'S PAWN SHOP STANDING OUTSIDE OF BUSINESS (SOUNDBITE) (English) JONATHAN QUEZADA, MANAGER AT ART'S PAWN SHOP, SAYING: "So traffic out, nobody walking. I just wish we had more people in here for the holiday season. This is supposed to be the busiest time, and it's not because of all the restrictions." VARIOUS OF JONATHAN QUEZADA, MANAGER AT ART'S PAWN SHOP TALKING TO CUSTOMERS HOLIDAYS DISCOUNT CALENDAR HANGING AS A CHRISTMAS ORNAMENT (SOUNDBITE) (English) JONATHAN QUEZADA, MANAGER AT ART'S PAWN SHOP, SAYING: "We are trying to help and trying to stay afloat. We're not like a regular bank where people who need a thousand dollars or five thousand dollars or five hundred thousand dollars, we're giving people twenty, fifty, a hundred dollars loans to get their groceries or their milk or pump gas to go to work. So, those are the people that we're here to help." CUSTOMERS INSIDE ART'S PAWN SHOP JEWERLY IN GLASS CASES 60-YEAR OLD ROBERTO PALMA AND HIS WIFE MAKING A PURCHASE AT ART'S PAWN SHOP (SOUNDBITE) (English) 60-YEAR-OLD ROBERT PALMA, RESIDENT, ON NEW RESTRICTIONS, SAYING: "I believe they are to slow down the spread of the virus. Yeah, and it's at the same time difficult because you have these businesses that are shutting down and they're they're trying to make a living. It's hard to survive." 60-YEAR-OLD ROBERT PALMA AND HIS WIFE LOOKING AT A RING THAT THEY PURCHASED TO CELEBRATE THEIR 15TH WEDDING ANNIVERSARY VARIOUS OF EMPTY PATIO IN FOOD COURT WITH TABLES TAPED EMPTY OUTDOOR DINING PATIO 69-YEAR-OLD SCOTT LARMER WALKING (SOUNDBITE) (English) 69-YEAR-OLD SCOTT LARMER, WHITTIER RESIDENT, SAYING: "You know, I came down here one night, when all the dining was out on the street, and I left because people were being very careless and were doing this (pulling down his mask). They were hugging each other. And the more alcohol they consumed, the more careless they were. So, if the virus is escalating, like they said it is, I think it's necessary. But it's a shame for the businesses. Yeah, it's a, you know, a double-sided coin." EMPTY OUTDOOR DINING PATIO WITH TV MOUNTS MORE OF EMPTY OUTDOOR DINING PATIO WITH A VIEW OF AN EMPTY STREET (SOUNDBITE) (English) 43-YEAR-OLD SUSAN CARMONA, WHITTIER RESIDENT, SAYING: "I don't think the restrictions are necessary because people are going to lose their jobs. I think we should stay open," 43-YEAR-OLD SUSAN CARMONA STANDING OUTSIDE AND TALKING WITH HER DAUGHTER GABRIELLE CARMONA (SOUNDBITE) (English) 21-YEAR-OLD GABRIELLE CARMONA, WHITTIER RESIDENT, SAYING: "But I think it's necessary because, it prevents more of the disease to come out, so if businesses are open, then we have a higher risk of getting it because we're near people, there's more contact. But if they're closed, we have less risk of getting it. Better to stay at home." 43-YEAR-OLD SUSAN CARMONA AND DAUGHTER GABRIELLE CARMONA WALKING "ATTENTION THIS AREA CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE" SIGN ON PLAYGROUND EMPTY SWING IN PLAYGROUND WITH A VIEW OF PRECAUTION YELLOW TAPE SPRING CHAIR IN PLAYGROUND WOMAN ON SIDEWALK PUSHING A STROLLER VARIOUS OF EMPTY PLAYGROUND WITH PRECAUTION TAPE
- Embargoed: 15th December 2020 02:52
- Keywords: COVID-19 California Los Angeles Whittier businesses coronavirus economy purple tier restrictions shutdown
- Location: WHITTIER, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES
- City: WHITTIER, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES
- Country: USA
- Topics: Health/Medicine,United States
- Reuters ID: LVA001D6RFP6V
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: New COVID-19 restrictions came into effect in Los Angeles County on Monday (November 30), leaving businesses wondering how they can survive.
Christine Ramirez is the manager at Super Mex, a Mexican restaurant in old town Whittier, 15 miles southeast of Los Angeles. The scenario from last week to this week is day and night, Ramirez said.
"We all closed down. I mean, we went from, you know, ten tables, chairs out here, more patio space to nothing," she said.
Restaurants are not the only ones feeling the burden of the new orders; businesses like Art's Pawn Shop are hurting too.
"So traffic out, nobody is walking. I just wish we had more people in here for the holiday season. This is supposed to be the busiest time, and it's not because of all the restrictions."
69-year-old Scott Larmer is a lifelong Whittier resident who supports the restrictions, but sympathizes with businesses.
"You know, I came down here one night, when all the dining was out on the street, and I left because people were being very careless and were doing this (pulling down his mask). They were hugging each other. And the more alcohol they consumed, the more careless they were," he said. "So, if the virus is escalating, like they said it is, I think it's necessary. But it's a shame for the businesses. Yeah, it's a, you know, a double-sided coin."
Susan Carmona walked to the Starbucks near her home with her daughter and told Reuters she disagrees with restrictions.
"I don't think the restrictions are necessary because people are going to lose their jobs. I think we should stay open," she said.
Her 21-year-old daughter Gabrielle Carmona disagrees and says closures are necessary to control the spread of the virus.
"I think it's necessary because, it prevents more of the disease to come out, so if businesses are open, then we have a higher risk of getting it because we're near people," Gabrielle said.
Governor Gavin Newsom said he may clamp new "stay-at-home" orders on California's roughly 40 million residents in the face of infections and hospitalizations that are still rising, weeks before emergency vaccines are predicted for release.
More than 4.2 million new COVID-19 infections and 36,000 COVID-19 related deaths were reported across the United States in November, according to a Reuters tally. Hospitalizations are at a pandemic high and deaths the most in six months.
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