While we are all well aware now that the Coronavirus has hurt the global economy, the changes in our local economy may be less obvious. Many small businesses around the Orlando area have had to shut down because their jobs were deemed “non-essential.” However, many others, such as Canon Coffee in Apopka and Serendipity in Mount Dora, have been able to change their methods as best they can to fit the new social distancing standards. Local restaurants and cafes have started offering curb-side pick up and carry-out orders, as well as using food delivery apps like UberEats and Postmates.

While these new methods of business have been helpful to the shops, they cannot compete with the normal everyday flow of business as usual. A survey conducted by Statista in March shows that 13% of Americans will not buy food through online delivery and another 15.8% are unlikely to. Because of the stay-at-home order enacted by Governor Ron DeSantis on April 1, there are fewer cars on the roads, and therefore fewer people stopping along their route to grab a bite to eat. Also, with social distancing being enforced in every grocery store, bank, and hospital, people may be less likely to risk unnecessary human interaction for a meal, when they could cook at home. 

“I have not ordered food online since the stay at home order,” senior Courtney Roberts said. “I usually just cook at home because it’s easier.”

Small business owners are also having to lay off many of their employees. A big stressor at this time is the growing debt of local business owners, many of them had to take out loans to start up their stores. In the midst of this chaos, there are two silver linings that the government and the Small Business Administration issued to help these businesses. First, there is the Paycheck Protection Program which gives small businesses loans for up to eight weeks that will cover the payroll of their employees as well as some extra funding for other bills related to the business. This loan can be forgiven as long as it is used to pay employees that otherwise would have been out of work without it. Second, is the Economic Injury Disaster Loan program which gives businesses that apply low-interest loans when they are struggling because of some kind of disaster. 

Overall, this is a difficult and uncertain time for small business owners. While Central Florida’s economy has been known to recover quickly after disasters of this degree because of our endless tourist attractions, our local economy will still need some time to recover.

“I think it might take some time for us to recover,” freshman Annie Kucera said. “So many people have lost their jobs and the stock market could be nearing the lowest it’s been since 1929.”