Recently I learned that there’s an outbreak of COVID among the staff at a local pub in Yarmouth. The business should close until the outbreak is over, but it’s not. Workers are still expected to come to work, and patrons are completely unaware that the people handling and serving their food have or are exposed to the deadly virus that has killed so many.

The restaurant is not unique among restaurants and bars in the area, where outbreaks of COVID have occurred, but the business has not closed, even though it should.

I’m conflicted on whether or not to call these businesses out publicly, such as on local town Facebook groups. On one hand, the owners are not protecting their employees or patrons from harm. On the other hand, the workers are in desperate need of money to pay their bills and put food on the tables for their families, especially during the winter, when business is slow.

What’s the right thing to do? It feels insane to me that we’ve reached a point where we’ve normalized not closing down businesses where the outbreak of such a serious diseases has occurred. But by doing so, workers get hit really hard financially, and everyone knows the struggle of our friends and family members who work so hard to make ends meet.

Leigh Hennig
Yarmouth

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