According to National Restaurant Association, restaurants and employees are feeling the catastrophic effect of the COVID-19 pandemic across the country. Since March 1, the industry has lost more than 3 million jobs and $25 billion in sales, and roughly 50% of restaurant operators anticipate having to lay off more people in April.
On Friday, March 27, President Trump signed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, the single largest economic relief package in U.S. history at $2.2 trillion. Included: $300 billion in direct payments to individuals earning less than $99,000 annually, up to $3,400 per family of four; $350 billion in loans for small businesses with loan forgiveness provisions; and $250 billion in enhanced unemployment insurance. More than 300,000 individuals joined in the National Restaurant Association’s grassroots campaign to ensure the restaurant industry, acknowledged as the most hard-hit by the coronavirus crisis, was heard as the legislation was shaped.
