General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsTexas back in business? Barely, y'all, as malls, restaurants empty
Source: Reuters
Texas back in business? Barely, y'all, as malls, restaurants empty
Brad Brooks
4 MIN READ
AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - The Domain mall in Austin, Texas, is open for business - unlike most of its 100 upscale shops - as the state entered its first work week of eased pandemic restrictions in the hopes of rekindling the economy.
A dozen or so people were strolling about the sprawling open-air shopping center Monday afternoon, with three seated on the patio of a Tex-Mex restaurant. Only one shopper wore a mask, and the loudest noises were from songbirds perched in the live oak trees along the deserted pedestrian thoroughfares.
Ive seen one customer today - they didnt buy anything, said Taylor Jund, who was keeping watch over an empty Chaser clothing store. Theres absolutely no one coming around here.
While protests across the United States demand state governments allow business to reopen and people to get back to work, the vast majority of Americans balk at relaxing stay-at-home orders too quickly, according to Reuters/Ipsos opinion polling.
Texas, Georgia and other southern states are leading the way in letting stay at home orders expire and gradually allowing people go about their business. But the early days of the opening in Texas show that many residents might want to stay home anyway.
-snip-
Read more: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-usa-texas/texas-back-in-business-barely-yall-as-malls-restaurants-empty-idUSKBN22H19K
beachbumbob
(9,263 posts)KS Toronado
(17,208 posts)SergeStorms
(19,199 posts)is ammunition, guns, and Alex Jones' "health" products.
Paladin
(28,254 posts)...based on the statements and actions of a couple of shit-for-brains like Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan "Old People Need To Die" Patrick.
Hugin
(33,135 posts)striking and troubling.
mr_lebowski
(33,643 posts)Hugin
(33,135 posts)Ironically, enough. Astroturf. Astrodome. Houston Astros. Texas.
I fear wearing out the word 'irony'.
Initech
(100,065 posts)Who's going to take that risk? And what business wants to be strapped with that liability?
dalton99a
(81,455 posts)northoftheborder
(7,572 posts)Even some very rural areas are just now getting sick in larger numbers per population than some cities.
leftyladyfrommo
(18,868 posts)If no one shows up the clerks are safer and they are getting paid.
Proud Liberal Dem
(24,407 posts)*derp*
luvtheGWN
(1,336 posts)As long as the stores and restaurants and hair salons and barbershops and tattoo parlours etc. are all open, then the folks who work in them have no reason to collect unemployment.
It always comes down to money with the GOP, doesn't it? Whereas the Democrats care more for people -- as illustrated by Govs Cuomo, Newsom and Inslee.
Proud Liberal Dem
(24,407 posts)then they're going to have to shut down again or start laying people off until business picks back up and they'll be back to collecting unemployment again. I don't think that this "reopening" thing has been well thought out.
angrychair
(8,697 posts)In trump and other Republicans arrogance and ignorance, they are doing more harm than good by pushing their agenda to hard.
In their rush to try and save Republican majorities, they are doing more to hurt the economy than help it.
smirkymonkey
(63,221 posts)They are all about short-term gains, despite the long term damage that may happen in achieving those gains. They really are galactically stupid.
callous taoboy
(4,584 posts)I live in a town that thousands of people descend on every weekend. I drove through town on both Friday night and Saturday afternoon and the crowds were down by at least 85-90%. Just a handful of people walking the sidewalks. I have friends that own local businesses and they are very discouraged, but understanding.
Igel
(35,300 posts)Because it might matter for projections.
Just as projections have started to fail because people--not just in red states--have started to move more, so projections might also fail because people, when lockdowns are relaxed, don't fully revert to their former behavior.
In other words, the lockdowns weren't as locked-down as assumptions required, and the opened-up economies might not be as open as predicted.
SWBTATTReg
(22,113 posts)input into whether a business is open for business or not) think that they have more power than rump does, in ordering businesses in their states to 'open'. They all have ZERO power.
Some of the states have turned pretty ugly by not paying unemployment insurance for those that have (in theory) businesses open. I wonder what will happen when stats start going up in areas (on CV illness/deaths) that opened prematurely? I suspect that some states will attempt to hid this fact, and thus, are guilty of crimes against their own populations (in hiding the deadliness of the still ongoing CV outbreaks).
I still don't feel safe in going out yet. Do you?
Roc2020
(1,615 posts)And as long as the ticker on cnn/msnbc shows the number of people dying getting sick and going to the hospital keeps going up I'm keeping my activities essential. The grocery store and back home. I'm fortunately able to work from home. Trump supporters who want to prove a point by running loose and protesting, good luck.
gab13by13
(21,316 posts)as long as Wall Street gets trillions of dollars from taxpayers(borrowed money) the Fed and Central Banks.
I think Wall Street is up again today while a horrible jobs report is due on Friday.
angrychair
(8,697 posts)In the end, you can only shuffle the deck chairs on the titanic so many times before you are under water anyway.
Frances
(8,545 posts)Benefits if he or she does not return to work should be given the masks that protect themselves (95?) and other PPE because we have seen too many instances of shoppers without masks. Too many shoppers have been belligerent and have exhibited dangerous behavior
A person should not have to choose between exposure from selfish customers and food
keithbvadu2
(36,778 posts)Why aren't the repubs out shopping with their guns?
TXPaganBanker
(210 posts)The restaurants are in Preston Hollow (very affluent neighborhood, with residents like George W Bush and Tom Hicks), with Hillstone being a prime example. Masks aren't part of their "image". And because they fired all the employees initially, they're not "firing employees that want to wear a mask", they're "choosing not to rehire staff that won't adhere to stated dress code".
Not stepping foot in any place like that, ever.
https://www.dallasobserver.com/restaurants/hillstone-employees-told-they-cant-wear-face-masks-11908105
smirkymonkey
(63,221 posts)They clearly don't care about the health of their employees or their patrons. Watch their business crumble.
I hope they go bankrupt.
rainin
(3,011 posts)Businesses fail.
Game. Set. Match. Disaster capitalism. The rich win.
LizBeth
(9,952 posts)loses more money for operations then shutting down. And this because a few loud voices. That being said, I drove past Walmart yesterday and the huge parking lot was full.
gratuitous
(82,849 posts)You get to the actual numbers of people willing to risk their lives for consumerism, and it's not nearly as impressive a display as the armed terrorists strutting around small public squares. Whoda thunk it?
cbdo2007
(9,213 posts)and make sure they are all out shopping every day and keeping these places in business.
DrToast
(6,414 posts)...you dont get a healthy economy unless you control the virus.
Windy City Charlie
(1,178 posts)One thing to reopen the economy, quite another to get people to support the economy right now. What are they going to do? Force people to do so?
Skittles
(153,150 posts)most people I see are listening to doctors and scientist, not the Trump-humping governor
I continue to go pickup takeout, and tip nicely.