Schools closed, restaurants open: This is life without a fresh stimulus package
New York City closed schools on Thursday, but restaurants are still open for indoor dining, albeit at reduced capacity. Seem backward? Public health experts agree. Some of the disconnect can be attributed to local politics—the NYC mayor, who made the decision to close schools, has said that indoor dining should be reevaluated, while the state governor, who has the authority to close restaurants and gyms, has made no moves to do so. Yet Vox points out that there’s an overlooked element to this story: Money. Federal support has largely dried up, meaning restaurants and their workers have no cushion if they’re forced to close again. “It’s not the Covid pandemic that has harmed so many businesses,” one expert told Vox. “It’s our mismanagement of the Covid pandemic.
