KANSAS CITY, Mo. — There is a new version of an obstacle that could get in the way for Kansas City, Missouri, restaurant owners and that is the delta variant.
"Now with this delta variant, it has thrown us for a bit of a loop but we are kind of backing up and waiting and see how we are going to deal with it," Laura Norris, owner of Ragazza Food and Wine said.
This comes as a time where these businesses have already suffered because of the pandemic.
Norris said she follows the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines in her restaurant but worries what could come next.
"This past year has been pretty brutal," Norris said. "We are doing okay now but it has taken a long time to kind of get business back."
At Westport Flea Market, the business is putting the customers first by setting guidelines for their employees.
"That is kind of our policy if you are not vaccinated, that is your choice, (but) we require you to wear a mask," Joe Zwillenberg, owner of Westport Flea Market said. "But I think everybody here has been vaccinated."
Both restaurant owners said they don't plan to make their own rules regarding masks or social distancing when it comes to guidelines and the variant. But, they will keep a close on on what happen next.
"We will watch and see," Zwillenberg said. "Whatever the state or city mandates is what we are going to do."
Norris agreed with Zwillenberg's approach.
"I am following what the mayor does and I expect his opinion very much," Norris said. "I feel like they have their finger on the pulse to what is happening and to see what happens next."
