[nicoburns]

> Because it's not like a restaurant that you can close and then open a month later with little consequence to the public.

That hits a nerve. A lot of restaurants are going to close and never reopen again as a result of this lockdown.

[falcolas]

Yeah, the idea that all of these businesses shutting down has little consequence to the public (regardless of whether they open again) is incredibly tone deaf, with somewhere around 15% of the US population impacted by these closures. Worse, this population likely overlaps with the most at-risk when it comes to both health and financial standing.

[jfkebwjsbx]

HN is not US-only.

In Europe, losing your job does not mean losing your health nor your finances.

[bdcravens]

Sure, but we're discussing a shutdown in the Bay Area, so the American reality is the proper context.

[nicoburns]

> In Europe, losing your job does not mean losing your health nor your finances.

It does if you're freelance, which a lot of the events industry is. Or if you work for a small business that folds as soon as it has no business.

[tssva]

It sounds cold but the reality is that other restaurants will open to replace the ones that never reopen because a demand for them will exist thanks to places like Tesla staying open and pumping revenue into the local economy.

[miscPerson]

This sounds backwards:

Electric cars are fungible, social fabric is not.

So we can lose Tesla and be fine with remaining electric car manufacturers or new ones. In contrast, losing a long-term social hub is a lasting negative impact.

[tssva]

Average life span of a restaurant is 5 years. The majority that go under will not have been long-term social hubs.

[nicoburns]

Yeah, but a lot of them will likely be chains. A lot of culture will be lost, at least here in the UK.