At the South Village Grill, manager Drew DeBoard struggled to decide whether to call Sunday night鈥檚 reservations. She seemed a bit shocked that her restaurant was closing.
鈥淥n a scale of one to 10, a 10,鈥� DeBoard said. 鈥淣othing like this has ever happened in my lifetime. We don鈥檛鈥攚e live in a world where these types of emergencies aren鈥檛 real. This is the stuff you see in movies. It鈥檚 pretty crazy. I have goose bumps just saying it out loud,鈥� she said with a laugh.
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine insists that drastic action is necessary to stop the spread of COVID19 coronavirus. In a press conference Sunday, for the foreseeable future. Restaurants can stay open if they have a carry out or delivery option.
Explaining the decision, DeWine hearkened back to the differing responses of St. Louis and Philadelphia during the 1918 influenza outbreak. St. Louis took drastic to action to close down public events.
Philadelphia held a parade. When it was all said and done, the death rate in Philadephia was the rate in St. Louis.
DeWine acknowledged these steps are going to be hard for restaurant and bar workers.
鈥淟ook, this is brutally tough, and my heart goes out to them,鈥� DeWine said. 鈥淏ut we have to do what we have to do to save their lives, and not just their lives but the lives of others. And our goal is for us to get through this.鈥�
According to the Ohio Restaurant Association, the industry employed more than 500,000 people last year鈥�10% of the state鈥檚 workforce.
In a statement, association president John Barker said 鈥渋t鈥檚 important we鈥檙e all in this together so restaurants are here now and after the crisis.鈥� The Ohio Chamber of Commerce applauded the governor as well, saying decisive action now will allow the state to return to normal sooner.
But Lisa Dublin, a bartender at High Beck Tavern, was frustrated and angry.
鈥淚鈥檓 rarely speechless, but today would be one of the first times that I am speechless,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he whole thing seems a bit extreme, to be honest.鈥�
And without a clear idea of how long this will last, Dublin says her concerns just pile up on top of one another.
鈥淗ow to pay rent, how to feed myself, how to do all of those things,鈥� Dublin said. "I鈥檓 a career bartender. I鈥檓 a cash girl, I don鈥檛 have a 401k, and all kinds of back up that people who do normal jobs have.鈥�
Up the street, Luke and Annie Pierce felt like the rug was being pulled out from under them. The couple opened their bar Lawbird just four months ago.
鈥淲e鈥檙e torn, right?鈥� Luke says. 鈥淲e鈥檙e small business owners that our livelihood just got stripped out of our hands, but again, to slow the spread of this thing, no one knows what it could be.鈥�
Annie said at least a decision means they鈥檙e no longer in limbo. Still, she said it鈥檚 hard to prepare when there鈥檚 so much they don鈥檛 know.
鈥淲e have ideas and programs that we鈥檝e already started to put into place to cover a few weeks鈥� worth of missing work or lost product, or things like that,鈥� she explained. 鈥淚t鈥檚 the question of, what if, God forbid, this is six weeks? I have no answer or idea for that.鈥�
At the press conference announcing Sunday鈥檚 order, DeWine鈥檚 administration promised to make it easier for people who find themselves out of work to make unemployment claims quickly. The state will also look to the federal government to make low interest loans available to companies around the state impacted by the order.
The Ohio Department of Health makes the following recommendations to protect yourself from illness:
- Wash hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds; dry hands with a clean towel or air dry hands.
- Use alcohol-based hand sanitizer when soap and water are unavailable.
- Cover your mouth with a tissue or sleeve when sneezing or coughing. Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands.
- Stay home when you are sick.
- Avoid contact with people who are sick.
Ohio's coronavirus call center is open to answer questions from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. The hotline number is 1-833-4-ASK-ODH or 1-833-427-5634.
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