US: Local Virginia restaurants hurt as COVID-19 spreads

WASHINGTON

As the coronavirus spreads around the country, restaurants in the U.S. state of Virginia are getting hurt by the virus, with some business owners complaining of paying out of pockets for the expenses.

Turgut Yigit, 51, owns Istanbul Grill restaurant, which has been in business for two years on Wilson Boulevard, Arlington county.

He said since the first case was reported in Baltimore, Maryland earlier this month, the reservations have been canceled by the customers.

"For the past three weeks, not many customers are walking in and I am having difficulty with paying my employees' salaries," says Yigit. "I am paying out of pockets."

He said the sales are down by 90% when compared to same months last year.

"Not just me, all businesses are impacted," said Yigit.

Elcin Rashidzade, a server at the restaurant, said she is concerned about paying her rent and bills.

She mothers an 11-month-old baby boy and said she has to take care of all expenses of the household. Her husband is currently interviewing a couple of companies to get a regular job.

"I was making some $200 on weekends before this virus hit the area, but now that amount has recently dropped to $40-50 on Saturdays and Sundays," she added.

A fast, casual, quick service Mexican restaurant chain, Chipotle Mexican Grill's Ballston branch also voiced concern that the sale would go down as the virus gets worse.

Leonardo Gontijo, the service manager at Chipotle in Ballston of Arlington, said he and his family members are not personally affected by the coronavirus, but there has been a decrease in sales.

"It is really affecting us," said Gontijo, adding that the restaurant used to make some $9,000 three weeks ago but "today we are about to have hit $7,000, the daily sales we make."

The restaurants in D.C. area has introduced several measures in the wake of the panic such as not hosting more than 250 people at the same time, suspension of bar seating, not serving standing patrons and not allowing more than six people seating at one table.

That has yet to come to Virginia state which has declared state of emergency in response to the pandemic last week.

On Sunday, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam urged Virginians to avoid public gatherings, and not to go to a church, bar or restaurant.

Virginia is reporting 45 confirmed cases of COVID-19, along with 10 people who have been hospitalized, according to the Virginia Department of Health.

The death toll from novel coronavirus in the U.S. has climbed to 69, with total confirmed cases is around 3,800, according to Johns Hopkins University in Maryland.

President Donald Trump declared a national emergency Friday in an attempt to thwart the spread of virus in the U.S.