It has been nearly one year since many lockdown orders in response to COVID-19 were put in place.
States have had wide discretion on what measures they put in place to control the virus. A number of states have removed or loosened their orders over time, but many private places like businesses, apartment buildings, restaurants, stores, and workplaces have upheld the restrictions even when they are no longer required to do so. Businesses may be concerned about their public image and liability and continue to mandate that employees, customers, and members of the public wear masks, practice social distancing, and limit crowds.
Industry organizations have reviewed the impact of these measures on activity. Below is what some report:
- Restaurants closed/out of business in the United States: 110,000
(National Restaurant Industry, January 2021)
- Decline in travel spending in 2020: 42 percent
(Tourism Economics, January 2021)
- Loss in ticket sales, global concert business: $9.7 billion
- Christians still and only attending their pre-COVID church: 35 percent
- Total of all work hours around the world lost to lockdowns: 8 percent
(255 million full-time jobs, $3.7 trillion income)
(International Labor Organization, January 2021)
- Americans not planning to renew gym membership after pandemic: 59 percent
-Staff reports
