Chicago restaurant worker worries about health in COVID-19

Every time a customer walks through the door, an employee of a Chicago restaurant feels angry.

“Everyone who comes to a restaurant, regardless of who they are or what they order, I see them as a potential threat,” she said.

She once said she loved the job, but now she’s tired of anxiety-will the customer she serves today infect her with COVID-19?

Being afraid of retaliation in the restaurant industry, the workers who asked not to use their names say that every time they work, they take a step away from those who don’t wear masks. After they leave, she collects the dirty dishes and the silverware they had in their mouth.

In the past, she had to physically block the doors to prevent men who refused masks from entering the restaurant. She remembered that he hadn’t worn it yet when she ran behind and caught him.

“I don’t think people who go to restaurants right now don’t care about everyone’s safety,” she said.

As Chicago tightens Some restrictions on the service industry COVID-19 case increase this week-bars and food that we don’t serve outdoors are closed, restaurants can’t serve parties of 6 or more — some food service workers haven’t made that effort yet Say worrying enough is enough to protect them.

Some service workers said they are facing impossible choices—they are commanded to work there, fearing their health. But if they say no, they could be fired.

They can’t even get out of work because their boss asked them to come back.

On the contrary, some restaurant owners said they couldn’t survive without eating indoors.

Other states have attributed some of the COVID-19 surge to bars, but doctors like Benjamin Singer of Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine said the safety of the restaurant is unknown.

“It has different layers, such as individual people in a restaurant, restaurant setup, and airflow conditions,” he said. “Thus, all these things create a very muddy situation in terms of actual risk.”

Ah Recent Japanese studies It turns out that it is 20 times more likely to catch a virus indoors than it can catch it outdoors. Ah Chinese case study We showed how the virus spreads in the airflow created by the air conditioning of a restaurant. Singer said these studies are small but provide valuable insights.

Still dthey Not good To track if restaurant workers get COVID-19 more than anyone else. In most cases, the work of COVID-19 patients is unknown—this is essential for understanding the breadth of the pandemic.

However, Governor JB Pritzker last week The case goes up a lot, Indoor dining or bar could go first. And Chicago has already strengthened its legal services.

“The point”

One chef I don’t think Chicago’s restrictions so far are sufficient.

“I’m not a business owner. I don’t pretend to know how I feel, but I’m a human being, and being on the side of employees means I’m in business, money, and ultimately Profits were much more prioritized,” said the chef, and he asked that he would not be identified because of fear of retaliation.

He said he was forced to do his job in a fine restaurant because of the discomfort of working in a packed space. Chefs believe that the financial burden of restaurant owners is often wrong on the back of workers who earn the minimum wage.

“He said, even if there is a risk of someone getting sick or killing them, even a small rise is not worth the money around the world,” he said.

Many service workers who spoke to WBEZ said they believe the owners are not sufficiently concerned about their health.

According to a Chicago Restaurant Workers survey, 9 out of 10 workers are unsafe with current rules and regulations. And about 70% of them feel unsafe around their customers.

Between the Department of Commerce Protection and the Chicago Department of Public Health, the city has only about 54 full-time inspectors to check compliance with COVID-19 rules.

“November horror”

Glenn Fahlstrom agreed with the workers and closed the restaurant. After operating Farstromm’s fresh fish market in Lakeview for about seven years, he refused to risk leaving his employees open and said on social media when it closed.

“Because I’m not that kind of person, my business takes precedence over anyone else’s concerns,” he said. “I don’t intend to go home at night and turn my head to the pillow,” hey… made $250 today, but Susie got sick.

In the current situation, seated restaurants can’t last long anyway, and will not return to normal for at least the next couple of years, Farstom said. He said that limited indoor dining has delayed the inevitable wave of closures.

Anderville’s Hopleaf Tavern’s Michael Lauper said it will work until summer, but he’s worried about autumn.

“I’m usually looking forward to the fall. I like the colors of autumn and I love the upcoming holiday season. But I’m afraid of November this year,” Roper said.

That’s when he has to start paying back his government paycheck protection program loan. Also, it is too cold to let people sit outdoors.

Hopleaf makes about 20% of its pre-pandemic sales through indoor dining. He said some states would rob some of the most profitable sources of income when the state closed its indoor meals.

Without thousands of bills each month, Lauper said he would try to prevent hop leaf until the end of the pandemic. He predicts that companies like him will die unless the federal government stops paying loans and mortgages.

“In some other countries this worked,” he said. “But Washington doesn’t currently have an FDR. Donald Trump. If we let go of all these places, our country wouldn’t be the same.”

Vivian McCall is a WBEZ news intern. Follow her Azuki..