New England business leaders are awaiting the impact of pandemic-era unemployment benefits running out around Labor Day.
The cutoff will affect more than 300,000 people in Massachusetts alone , the Boston Globe reported, as employers grappling with staffing shortages hope more people will enter the job market.
Some low-paid workers will be facing a difficult decision over whether to return.
“Reopening the bottom part of this economy is hell,” said John Drew, chief executive of Action for Boston Community Development, an antipoverty agency that itself cannot find enough child care workers to staff all of its Head Start classrooms.
For workers who’ve used the time and benefits to pursue a new career, Drew said, the mindset seems to be: “Maybe I can do better than going back to that lousy job I had.”
In other pandemic-related news around New England:
BULLIED RESTAURANT WORKERS
A New Hampshire restaurateur who’s fed up with unruly patrons during the pandemic is standing up for his employees — and his efforts are winning online praise.
Steve Newick, owner of Newick’s Lobster House in Dover, said he has seen customers get aggressive over mask mandates, party limits, seafood prices and wait times due to short staffing.
So he posted a sign at the restaurant now spells out expectations of patrons — including that they should act “like a calm adult” if they experience a problem with their order.
He told the Foster Daily Democrat that he’s getting mostly positive feedback for sticking up for his staff.
DAY CARE AND MASKS
Masks should be required indoors at Vermont day cares, except for when a child is under 2 years old or has a medical or behavioral exemption, according to new guidance from the Vermont Department for Children and Families.
Masks are not required outdoors, and may be temporarily removed indoors “when needed for instructional or operation purposes,” according to the guidelines released this month, the Burlington Free Press reported.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises that physical distance should be maintained as much as possible while children are eating and drinking, particularly indoors. Children and staff with any COVID-19 symptoms are advised to stay home.
As of Aug. 19, nearly 4.6 million children have tested positive for COVID-19 in the U.S. since the start of the pandemic, over 18,000 children have been hospitalized and 402 children died, the American Academy of Pediatrics reported.
