San Francisco was added to the state’s watch list Friday, triggering a new round of closures and reopening delays affecting malls, restaurants, and thousands of other businesses, all struggling to hang on.
"We were very excited to reopen, of course safely," said Apo Kaplan, owner of North Beach Gyros.
The restaurant had reopening plans but on Monday, they had to put them on hold indefinitely. Which means about a dozen people won't be coming back to work.
"There's no business, let's put it that way,” said Kaplan. “Trying to survive, hoping for the best."
Many San Francisco non-essential offices and indoor malls also have to reclose or postpone reopening plans and city officials say there is no timeline for when customers or employees will be allowed back in.
"When you do plan to reopen, try to hold off on pre-ordering lots of stock, especially if you are dealing in perishable goods, because there is that chance there could be a further delay," said Amelia Linde, small business manager at San Francisco’s Chamber of Commerce.
According to them, there are still resources available to small businesses trying to stay afloat until they can fully reopen.
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There is still money in the PPP Loan Program, for example, and the city says it has permits to allow businesses to increase the space they use outside to serve customers.
