A COVID Christmas

Christmas, like Thanksgiving, was bound to change this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. National big box stores like Walmart and Best Buy reimagined promotions like Black Friday, choosing instead to spread out the big sales and encourage people to buy online. That, no doubt, has and will affect the way that restaurants and others do business now and how much business they will do.

Since we are in the middle of December numbers are still coming in for the month, but from the feedback, the Journal-Sun has received, restaurants were hit pretty hard here in our area. Some of them even having to close their doors for nearly a month, while others pushing their way through by offering pickup only, to moving to 25% percent occupancy, to 50%, and now currently 75%.

According to open.texas.gov, “Restaurants may operate for dine-in service up to 75% of the total listed occupancy inside the restaurant; outdoor dining is not subject to an occupancy limit; and restaurant employees and contractors are not counted towards the occupancy limitation. This applies only to restaurants that have less than 51% of their gross sales from alcoholic beverages. Restaurants may continue to provide to-go or delivery services. All employees and customers must wear a face covering (over the nose and mouth) wherever it is not feasible to maintain six feet of social distancing from another individual not in the same household, except when seated at the restaurant to eat or drink.”

Many of our Cass County and Texarkana restaurants are already moving through challenges with different degrees of success. At least two Texarkana restaurants closed their doors forever. Others have tried to adjust to our recent challenges.

Restaurant pickup and delivery has been a big thing during this season with some restaurants, with many of the fast-food restaurants only offering pickup and delivery only.

Applebee’s has recently announced that the Texarkana eatery will be the first in the nation to have a drive-through window for one of its stores.

As far as travel the New York Post notes that just 846,520 people passed through American airport security checkpoints on Christmas Eve, the TSA said — less than half the 2,009,112 who traveled by plane on Dec. 24, 2019. Many people throughout the US chose to see their family through services like Zoom, Apple Facetime, and Google Duo to have as close as a family Christmas as possible.

Here in Cass County many of our Christmas events were still on. In those activities, some practiced CDC safety recommendations, social distancing, mask-wearing, etc.

In our local businesses during the holiday shopping, it was about the same 50-60 percent practicing social the CDC recommendations with others not concerned from general observation.

When the Journal-Sun recently asked how COVID affected their holidays. Many of them said it had absolutely no effect.

While others including Holly Bowden, said that the loss of friends and family from COVID heavily changed their family’s lifestyle during the holiday season, “Most of our shopping was done online. When we did go out, we wore gloves and a mask. We always mask up and are appalled at all of the people who traipse through the stores smiling and laughing without a mask in place. We did not travel to see family this season because of the danger to both them and us…”