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Restaurant employees are out of work again due to the rebound in the pandemic

2020-11-25T20:03:38.555Z


For Greg Morena, a Los Angeles restaurant owner, the hardest thing is telling his employees, many of them with families and children, that he won't be able to hire them for the holidays: "It's the heaviest load I ever carry."


By Tammy Webber, Daniella Peters and Brian Melley for The Associated Press

Waiters and bartenders are losing their jobs, again, as governors and local officials order the closure of restaurants and canteens indoors to combat the nationwide surge in coronavirus infections that is filling hospital wards and frustrating hopes for a rapid economic recovery.

Los Angeles County restaurant owner

Greg Morena

was thinking about what he would do after county officials banned establishments from selling food in person for at least three weeks starting Wednesday.

But the hardest thing for him was breaking the bad news to his employees

.

“To say, 'I can't hire you during the holidays,' to staff with family and children, I still don't know how to do it.

It's the heaviest load I carry, ”said Morena, who had to close a restaurant earlier this year and has two in operation on the Santa Monica pier.

[Follow here the latest on the coronavirus pandemic in the United States and the world]

Randine Karnitz, a waitress in Elk River, Minnesota, said her boss fired her last week after Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz announced that bars, restaurants and gyms would be closing for four weeks because infections rose to an all-time high and pushed hospitals to the brink of collapse.

"'Well, your last day is tomorrow. You don't have a job. You can thank your governor for that," Karnitz says his boss told him.

Her husband's hours have also been cut in the factory where he works, forcing the family to postpone home repairs.

Karnitz, however, said he

supports the shutdown and that people who did not take the virus seriously bear much of the blame.

"I think that if we had all done our part to begin with, we would not be in this situation," he said.

"Things are only going to get worse for the service industry before they can get better, unfortunately."

Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards said Tuesday that he is limiting the number of patrons at restaurants, gyms, beauty salons, casinos, shopping malls and other non-essential businesses to 50% capacity as the state sees a third increase in coronavirus cases and hospitalizations.

Most bars will be restricted to take-out, delivery, and outdoor seating.

[Oxford and AstraZeneca say their vaccine protects against COVID-19 with 70% initial efficacy, which can go up to 90%]

Restaurant owners, most of whom underwent closures in the spring and summer, say

the new round of closures in this colder climate poses a greater challenge

.

Many offer curbside pickup service, but also try to host dinners outside, even if it means installing heaters.

Although in Los Angeles County, restaurants and bars are prohibited from offering cookouts as of Wednesday.

They will be limited to take out and home delivery.

Some are challenging the closure orders in court

, with little success.

COVID-19 increases poverty in the US and causes endless lines to get food

Nov. 24, 202003: 45

On Tuesday, a judge rejected a request from a restaurant industry group to block a Los Angeles County outdoor dining ban.

A day earlier, a California judge refused to temporarily restore indoor service to restaurants and gyms in San Diego County, which had to offer their services outdoors.

The judge argued that Governor Gavin Newsom's public health orders have sufficient scientific basis

.

Last week, a federal judge in Michigan refused to stop a ban on serving food indoors, even though the industry complained they were being treated unfairly.

The magistrate pointed out that restaurants differ from other businesses in that their customers have to remove their masks to eat or drink.

The United States has seen more

than 12.4 million confirmed infections and more than 258,000 deaths from coronavirus

.

Nearly 86,000 people, a record high, were in the hospital sick with COVID-19 this Monday.

The Lot restaurant in San Diego, California.

AP

The infections have led to a shortage of hospital beds and healthcare workers.

In addition, surgeries and other care not related to COVID-19 threaten.

On average, the United States records

more than 172,000 new cases per day

.

It's seeing more than 1,500 deaths per day on average, the highest level since May.

[Pfizer says its COVID-19 vaccine is 95% safe and effective after completing its trials]

Restaurant owners in Los Angeles County say infections are more likely to come from private gatherings, where compliance with the rules about masks and separate seating cannot be verified.

Some restaurateurs have been defiant

. Colorado Gov. Jared Polis warned restaurants Tuesday that they could lose their licenses if they violate closure orders, after several businesses in Larimer County signed a letter saying they will continue to operate at full capacity within their premises. .

Source: telemundo

All news articles on 2020-11-25

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