COVID-19 Pandemic Impact on Cumming Resident’s Jobs
By: Samantha Spinaci
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp extended the stay-at-home order on Wednesday, April 8 until April 30 due to statewide COVID-19 cases surpassing 10,000. In Cumming, people are complying with the stay at home order.
The pandemic closed many businesses in Cumming. Some people have been fortunate enough to still be working, while others do not know when they will get another paycheck or be able to return to work.
Hunter Finch, 20, is studying accounting at the University of North Georgia. Due to all the University System of Georgia schools moving to online schooling, Finch was forced to evacuate her dorm and move back home into her parent’s house.
Finch works in the bakery department at Publix in Cumming on Friday per week. The Cumming Publix had an employee test positive for the coronavirus in March.
Finch said the store is still serving customers while taking precautions advised by the CDC and local government to protect employees and the public.
“Publix has been really good about protecting us from the virus. They have put up glass shields at all the cash registers, they’ve had a customer service person go around the store every 30 minutes to an hour and wipe down all points that are touched often,” said Finch.
Kristin Bobo, 17, a junior at West Forysth High School, has had a different experience being in quarantine. Bobo works at Pike Nursery, which has continued to stay open during the pandemic.
Bobo has had more opportunities to work now that high school is canceled for the rest of the school year. She went from working a few nights a week after school to eight hour days multiple days in a row.
“Pike’s is technically considered an essential business since we sell vegetable and fruit plants,” said Bobo. “Since everyone is at home, people are coming to Pike’s to get things just to have something to do at home.”
Bobo and Finch are some of the few cases of people who have been deemed essential employees and continue to work during the pandemic.
But, Hannah Troutt, 20, a server at a local Cumming restaurant, Pizza Azzuri, has been out of work for multiple weeks now.
“The restaurant in house seating was the first to close around the second week in March,” said Troutt. “We are still taking phone orders, but since I am a server, there’s no work for me anymore.”
“I don’t mind having the break, I just wish I was still making money,” said Troutt.
With the extension to the stay at home order, it is unclear when people in Cumming and around Georgia will be able to return to work and when businesses will return to their normal operations.
