'‘I Need to Keep the Lights On’: One Man’s Battle to Keep His Small Business Alive' diff viewer (2/3)

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‘I Need to Keep the Lights On’: One Man’s Battle to Keep His Small Business Alive	‘I Need to Keep the Lights On’: One Man’s Battle to Keep His Small Business Alive
2020-04-09 02:54:17 UTC	2020-06-09 13:42:35 UTC (2 months later)
[Read our Coronavirus Relief Small Business F.A.Q.]	[Read our Coronavirus Relief Small Business F.A.Q.]
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — It started last Tuesday, a sudden decline in the number of haircuts. By Saturday, the salon owner, Zach Edwards, was sitting in his office looking nervously at a line of empty barber chairs.	CHARLOTTE, N.C. — It started last Tuesday, a sudden decline in the number of haircuts. By Saturday, the salon owner, Zach Edwards, was sitting in his office looking nervously at a line of empty barber chairs.
“I’m really, really worried,” said Mr. Edwards of his shop, Emerson Joseph, a male grooming salon in downtown Charlotte, N.C. “We had customers all week saying, ‘Can you cut it a little shorter? I don’t know when I’ll be back.’”	“I’m really, really worried,” said Mr. Edwards of his shop, Emerson Joseph, a male grooming salon in downtown Charlotte, N.C. “We had customers all week saying, ‘Can you cut it a little shorter? I don’t know when I’ll be back.’”
For small-business owners across the country, the past week has brought a sinking feeling of catastrophe. For Mr. Edwards, it has been the economic equivalent of a punch in the face. An average Saturday brings $6,000 in business. This one brought in $1,800.	For small-business owners across the country, the past week has brought a sinking feeling of catastrophe. For Mr. Edwards, it has been the economic equivalent of a punch in the face. An average Saturday brings $6,000 in business. This one brought in $1,800.
So, on Saturday, as he sat watching his salon, he was also asking himself this question: How should he balance the obligation to be socially responsible about the coronavirus outbreak with the fear that closing down altogether will bring financial ruin to himself and his 20 employees?	So, on Saturday, as he sat watching his salon, he was also asking himself this question: How should he balance the obligation to be socially responsible about the coronavirus outbreak with the fear that closing down altogether will bring financial ruin to himself and his 20 employees?
In some places, this question is being answered by decree. On Monday, New York, New Jersey and Connecticut ordered bars, restaurants and other businesses like gyms and movie theaters to close.	In some places, this question is being answered by decree. On Monday, New York, New Jersey and Connecticut ordered bars, restaurants and other businesses like gyms and movie theaters to close.
Charlotte is getting closer to doing the same. On Wednesday, Mecklenburg County, which includes Charlotte, ordered gyms, fitness centers, health clubs and theaters to close. Hair salons are still allowed to operate, a Health Department spokesman said, as long as there are not more than 50 people there at the same time. The county had at least 11 coronavirus cases as of Wednesday afternoon. North Carolina had at least 63.	Charlotte is getting closer to doing the same. On Wednesday, Mecklenburg County, which includes Charlotte, ordered gyms, fitness centers, health clubs and theaters to close. Hair salons are still allowed to operate, a Health Department spokesman said, as long as there are not more than 50 people there at the same time. The county had at least 11 coronavirus cases as of Wednesday afternoon. North Carolina had at least 63.
While at least one beer garden, Sycamore Brewing, had closed last week, much of the rest of the vibrant South End neighborhood was bustling on Saturday night even though a popular pub crawl had been canceled.	While at least one beer garden, Sycamore Brewing, had closed last week, much of the rest of the vibrant South End neighborhood was bustling on Saturday night even though a popular pub crawl had been canceled.
But the situation is changing by the day. Last week Mr. Edwards instructed his staff to always ask people coming through the door to wash their hands.	But the situation is changing by the day. Last week Mr. Edwards instructed his staff to always ask people coming through the door to wash their hands.
“When we first started asking people, they would laugh a little bit, they thought it was weird,” said Perri Jones, one of the stylists. “Now they appreciate it.”	“When we first started asking people, they would laugh a little bit, they thought it was weird,” said Perri Jones, one of the stylists. “Now they appreciate it.”
Mr. Edwards knows that all the measures he is taking may still not be enough. On Friday, one of his staff members got a text message from a client that included a photograph of workers in Tyvek suits cleaning the lobby of a nearby bank building. A coronavirus case had been reported within a block of the salon.	Mr. Edwards knows that all the measures he is taking may still not be enough. On Friday, one of his staff members got a text message from a client that included a photograph of workers in Tyvek suits cleaning the lobby of a nearby bank building. A coronavirus case had been reported within a block of the salon.
“I feel morally obligated to temporarily close,” he said. “But the practical argument is I need to keep the lights on, pay the mortgage and make payroll.”	“I feel morally obligated to temporarily close,” he said. “But the practical argument is I need to keep the lights on, pay the mortgage and make payroll.”
The business is his life. He used to be a client. He came because he liked the atmosphere. It had a masculine interior with brick walls and dark leather furniture, a shoeshine stand and old-fashioned barber chairs.	The business is his life. He used to be a client. He came because he liked the atmosphere. It had a masculine interior with brick walls and dark leather furniture, a shoeshine stand and old-fashioned barber chairs.
“I cared about how I looked, and I didn’t want to feel stupid about that,” he said.	“I cared about how I looked, and I didn’t want to feel stupid about that,” he said.
But it was deeper than that. Business was what his family did. Both his parents had owned one — his father, a gas station, and his mother, a software business. His father’s eventually failed, but his mother’s became a success, counting some well-known companies as its clients, like a large coffee roaster headquartered in Vermont, where they lived.	But it was deeper than that. Business was what his family did. Both his parents had owned one — his father, a gas station, and his mother, a software business. His father’s eventually failed, but his mother’s became a success, counting some well-known companies as its clients, like a large coffee roaster headquartered in Vermont, where they lived.
His father was bitter about his business’s failure. But his mother loved hers.	His father was bitter about his business’s failure. But his mother loved hers.
“I wanted to be like my mom,” he said.	“I wanted to be like my mom,” he said.
It was his mother who lent him some of the money he needed to buy the salon in 2011, and his mother who talked him through it, warning him not to give in to what he said were the seller’s cascading demands. Three years later, when she fell ill with ovarian cancer, it was Mr. Edwards who talked her through her chemotherapy sessions, calling every day. She died in 2014. He still tears up when he talks about her.	It was his mother who lent him some of the money he needed to buy the salon in 2011, and his mother who talked him through it, warning him not to give in to what he said were the seller’s cascading demands. Three years later, when she fell ill with ovarian cancer, it was Mr. Edwards who talked her through her chemotherapy sessions, calling every day. She died in 2014. He still tears up when he talks about her.
His business is his connection to her, and the thought of having to close, even temporarily, is deeply painful.	His business is his connection to her, and the thought of having to close, even temporarily, is deeply painful.
He said he had some money in reserve but not enough to make it through some of the worst-case scenarios, like closing until late summer. And he still has his bills, like $10,000 a month in rent, $400 a month for the online booking system, and $4,500 a month for his employees’ health insurance.	He said he had some money in reserve but not enough to make it through some of the worst-case scenarios, like closing until late summer. And he still has his bills, like $10,000 a month in rent, $400 a month for the online booking system, and $4,500 a month for his employees’ health insurance.
His largest payment is wages: $30,000 every two weeks. Every stylist works about six months in training before they get a book of customers, and laying them off would mean losing that investment.	His largest payment is wages: $30,000 every two weeks. Every stylist works about six months in training before they get a book of customers, and laying them off would mean losing that investment.
Ms. Jones, 31, who has worked at the salon for five years, said she was only just starting to absorb what it might mean financially if the shop had to close for a while.	Ms. Jones, 31, who has worked at the salon for five years, said she was only just starting to absorb what it might mean financially if the shop had to close for a while.
	Updated June 5, 2020
	A study by European scientists is the first to document a strong statistical link between genetic variations and Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Having Type A blood was linked to a 50 percent increase in the likelihood that a patient would need to get oxygen or to go on a ventilator, according to the new study.
	The unemployment rate fell to 13.3 percent in May, the Labor Department said on June 5, an unexpected improvement in the nation’s job market as hiring rebounded faster than economists expected. Economists had forecast the unemployment rate to increase to as much as 20 percent, after it hit 14.7 percent in April, which was the highest since the government began keeping official statistics after World War II. But the unemployment rate dipped instead, with employers adding 2.5 million jobs, after more than 20 million jobs were lost in April.
	Mass protests against police brutality that have brought thousands of people onto the streets in cities across America are raising the specter of new coronavirus outbreaks, prompting political leaders, physicians and public health experts to warn that the crowds could cause a surge in cases. While many political leaders affirmed the right of protesters to express themselves, they urged the demonstrators to wear face masks and maintain social distancing, both to protect themselves and to prevent further community spread of the virus. Some infectious disease experts were reassured by the fact that the protests were held outdoors, saying the open air settings could mitigate the risk of transmission.
	Exercise researchers and physicians have some blunt advice for those of us aiming to return to regular exercise now: Start slowly and then rev up your workouts, also slowly. American adults tended to be about 12 percent less active after the stay-at-home mandates began in March than they were in January. But there are steps you can take to ease your way back into regular exercise safely. First, “start at no more than 50 percent of the exercise you were doing before Covid,” says Dr. Monica Rho, the chief of musculoskeletal medicine at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in Chicago. Thread in some preparatory squats, too, she advises. “When you haven’t been exercising, you lose muscle mass.” Expect some muscle twinges after these preliminary, post-lockdown sessions, especially a day or two later. But sudden or increasing pain during exercise is a clarion call to stop and return home.
	States are reopening bit by bit. This means that more public spaces are available for use and more and more businesses are being allowed to open again. The federal government is largely leaving the decision up to states, and some state leaders are leaving the decision up to local authorities. Even if you aren’t being told to stay at home, it’s still a good idea to limit trips outside and your interaction with other people.
	Touching contaminated objects and then infecting ourselves with the germs is not typically how the virus spreads. But it can happen. A number of studies of flu, rhinovirus, coronavirus and other microbes have shown that respiratory illnesses, including the new coronavirus, can spread by touching contaminated surfaces, particularly in places like day care centers, offices and hospitals. But a long chain of events has to happen for the disease to spread that way. The best way to protect yourself from coronavirus — whether it’s surface transmission or close human contact — is still social distancing, washing your hands, not touching your face and wearing masks.
	Common symptoms include fever, a dry cough, fatigue and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. Some of these symptoms overlap with those of the flu, making detection difficult, but runny noses and stuffy sinuses are less common. The C.D.C. has also added chills, muscle pain, sore throat, headache and a new loss of the sense of taste or smell as symptoms to look out for. Most people fall ill five to seven days after exposure, but symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days.
	If air travel is unavoidable, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself. Most important: Wash your hands often, and stop touching your face. If possible, choose a window seat. A study from Emory University found that during flu season, the safest place to sit on a plane is by a window, as people sitting in window seats had less contact with potentially sick people. Disinfect hard surfaces. When you get to your seat and your hands are clean, use disinfecting wipes to clean the hard surfaces at your seat like the head and arm rest, the seatbelt buckle, the remote, screen, seat back pocket and the tray table. If the seat is hard and nonporous or leather or pleather, you can wipe that down, too. (Using wipes on upholstered seats could lead to a wet seat and spreading of germs rather than killing them.)
	Taking one’s temperature to look for signs of fever is not as easy as it sounds, as “normal” temperature numbers can vary, but generally, keep an eye out for a temperature of 100.5 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. If you don’t have a thermometer (they can be pricey these days), there are other ways to figure out if you have a fever, or are at risk of Covid-19 complications.
	The C.D.C. has recommended that all Americans wear cloth masks if they go out in public. This is a shift in federal guidance reflecting new concerns that the coronavirus is being spread by infected people who have no symptoms. Until now, the C.D.C., like the W.H.O., has advised that ordinary people don’t need to wear masks unless they are sick and coughing. Part of the reason was to preserve medical-grade masks for health care workers who desperately need them at a time when they are in continuously short supply. Masks don’t replace hand washing and social distancing.
	If you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others.
	If you’re sick and you think you’ve been exposed to the new coronavirus, the C.D.C. recommends that you call your healthcare provider and explain your symptoms and fears. They will decide if you need to be tested. Keep in mind that there’s a chance — because of a lack of testing kits or because you’re asymptomatic, for instance — you won’t be able to get tested.
“I don’t think it really started to hit us until yesterday, when we realized all these things were really starting to shut down,” Ms. Jones said on Tuesday. “Everyone has their bills to pay, so are they going to pause bills for however long this goes on?”	“I don’t think it really started to hit us until yesterday, when we realized all these things were really starting to shut down,” Ms. Jones said on Tuesday. “Everyone has their bills to pay, so are they going to pause bills for however long this goes on?”
She is in the middle of a kitchen renovation, which now feels like “horrible timing,” she said. Her mother, a flight attendant for Delta on European routes, is now being offered unpaid leave for a month.	She is in the middle of a kitchen renovation, which now feels like “horrible timing,” she said. Her mother, a flight attendant for Delta on European routes, is now being offered unpaid leave for a month.
“It’s crazy to think about it,” she said. “It still doesn’t feel real.”	“It’s crazy to think about it,” she said. “It still doesn’t feel real.”