KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Stay-at-home orders in Kansas City, Missouri, were extended to May 15 in an effort to stop the spread of COVID-19.
Mayor Quinton Lucas said the new date was based on information from health professionals both in the city and elsewhere.
In the meantime, many small businesses are struggling as they work to find ways to survive the pandemic.
Crows Coffee has three locations in Kansas City and 34 employees. All of them have either left or been laid off.
“The uncertainly is really what keeps me up at night and anxiety throughout the day,” owner Zach Moores told 41 Action News.
The business started in 2014 with the idea of being a social business.
"This is very difficult for us because I'm in the business of literally bringing people together in groups, and right now we're in the opposite end of that,” Moores said.
On Thursday, Lucas addressed the concerns for many small business that are impacted by the extension.
"We knew this was going to have a big impact on business," Lucas said. "None of these decisions are made lightly. All of these decisions are made with an emphasis on public health."
The city is offering $500,000 to help small businesses, and officials hope more help could be on its way with nonprofits participating.
"We have important work to do to make sure businesses can survive this period," Lucas said. "We're trying to make sure that we give them quicker access to stimulus funds."
While this order is hard to survive, Moores agrees that it needs to be done so his customers can have that cup of coffee together again.
"Let's just shut it down, let's get rid of it, and then come back so we can have coffee together again," he said.
Moores said he did apply for the payment protection program and thinks that will help. He also hopes to hire back most of his employees once the pandemic is over.
