Keeping our businesses closed isn t working : Hard-hit restaurants hope for ban thaw
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People walk by outdoor plastic dining bubbles and restaurants that were prohibited from indoor service tried to attract customers as temperatures turned colder.Nam Y. Huh | AP
For the first time since COVID-19 mitigation efforts began in mid-March, two Illinois regions have reached the final tier and will be able to loosen restrictions to allow such things as the reopening of bars and restaurants.
Guidelines on hours and occupancy will remain in place under the Restore Illinois plan. For example, bars also must serve food to allow indoor customers, and indoor service is limited to either 25% of capacity or 25 people. Establishments also must close by 11 p.m. and not open before 6 a.m.
Pandemic-strained Jacksonville businesses powering through wage hike
Samantha McDaniel-Ogletree, Journal-Courier
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Holly Stewart, owner and operator of Holly Cakes, opened her new location at 23 S. Central Park Plaza last year.Darren Iozia | Journal-Courier
Although several Jacksonville business owners say they are taking a Jan. 1 increase in the state’s minimum wage in stride, there is growing concern about how much pandemic-strained small businesses can handle.
The minimum wage rose to $11 an hour at the start of the new year. It was the third hourly increase sine Jan. 1, 2020, as the state aims for $15 an hour by 2025.
Because the increases are in stages, some business owners said they were able to plan ahead.