時事新聞(中英雙語)-美國餐館因冠狀病毒帶來的恐慌面臨破產

時事新聞(中英雙語)-美國餐館因冠狀病毒帶來的恐慌面臨破產

Months before coronavirus fears hit the United States, business was slow at Mediterranean Breeze, a family-owned Greek restaurant near Washington, D.C.

在冠狀病毒恐慌襲擊美國的幾個月前,位於華盛頓特區附近的一家名為地中海微風的家庭式希臘餐館生意清淡。

Terry Kasotakis is the restaurant's owner.

特里.卡索塔基斯是這家餐館的老闆。

Both he and Paul Johnson, the general manager, were sure business would improve when the weather got warm.

他和總經理保羅.約翰遜都確信,天氣轉暖後,生意會好轉。

"We were just kind of (waiting) for April because we have a big outdoor section and it's very popular, and it holds a lot of people," Johnson said.

“我們只是在等待四月份(的到來),因為我們有-個很大的戶外區域,非常受歡迎,能容納很多人,”約翰遜說。

Last week, business at the Virginia eatery was down 90 percent.

上週,弗吉尼亞州的餐館生意減少了90%。

The state of Virginia has told police to enforce a 10-person limit in restaurants.

弗吉尼亞州已要求警方強制執行餐館內10人就餐限制。

Several U.S. states have ordered all restaurants to close their dining rooms in an effort to slow the spread of coronavirus.

為減緩冠狀病毒的傳播,美國幾個州下令所有餐館關閉餐廳。

The governors of California, Connecticut and at least six other states are among those who

have ordered restaurants and bars to close their dining rooms.

加利福尼亞州、康涅狄格州和至少其他六個州的州長已經下令餐館和酒吧關閉餐廳。

The businesses are now limited to delivery or carry-out service only.

現在的業務僅限提供送貨或外賣服務。

The U.S. Congress is considering measures that would expand loans to small businesses affected bycoronavirus.

美國國會正在考慮採取措施,向受冠狀病毒影響的小企業擴大貸款。

Those loans would not make up for financial losses, but they could make it possible for a restaurant or bar to stay in business.

這些貸款不能彌補經濟損失,但可以使餐館或酒吧得以繼續營業。

"The problem with a small restaurant, if you close, you still have to pay your insurance,you still have to pay an electric bill, you still have to pay rent," explained economist Michael Hicks.

經濟學家邁克爾.希克斯解釋道:“小餐館的問題在於,如果關閉了,還是得付保險費、電費,和房租。’

He works at Ball State University in Indiana.

他就職於印第安納州的波爾州立大學。

Hicks notes that even with loans a small business will still lose money, "but you'll stillbe able to open, perhaps.'

希克斯指出即使有了貸款,小商家仍然會虧損,“但或許仍然能夠營業”。

Anwar Halteh owns W aterfront Pizza in Foster City, near San Francisco, California.

安瓦爾.哈爾特在加利福尼亞州舊金山附近的福斯特城擁有- -家海濱披薩店。

He expects to lose 70 percent of his business,but he thinks his restaurant will survive.

他預計將失去70%的生意,但認為自己的餐館會倖存下來。

"I expect (carry-out) to give us maybe 30 percent of business, but we cut down our overhead by 8o percent so we should be able to be okay," he says.

“我希望(外賣業務)能給我們帶來30%的生意,但如果我們削減80%的管理費用,就應該沒問題。”他說。

"I only keep three people in the whole restaurant cleaning andcool)king."

“整個餐館,我只留下三個人打掃和做飯。”

Halteh says he does not have the money to keep paying the employees no longer working in the restaurant.

哈爾特表示自己沒有錢繼續支付那些不再在餐館工作的員工。

But he believes things will go back to normal.

但他相信一切都會恢復正常的。

"I think, after it's over, everything's going to be a booming economy," he said.

“我認為,疫情結束後,經濟將會蓬勃發展,”他說。

The general manager of Virginia's Mediterranean Breeze can only hope business will soon be back to where it was.

弗吉尼亞州地中海微風餐館的總經理只希望生意能很快恢復到原來的水平。

"I'm..hopeful that the virus situation will start to subside in the next five to 10 days,although I know a lot of the professionals are saying that's not going to be the case," Paul Johnson said.

保羅.約翰遜說:“ .....希望病毒疫情將在未來5到10天內開始消退,儘管我知道很多專業人士都說不會這樣。”

He added that the 15-year-old restaurant cannot survive more than a month under these conditions.

他補充道,在這種情況下,這家有15年曆史的餐館撐不過一-個月。

"The local business...those are the ones that are really hurt here,"said Johnson.

“當地的企業....才.是真正的受害者。” 約翰遜說。

He hopes more people will give their carry-out business to family-owned restaurants like Mediterranean Breeze.

他希望更多的人將外賣業務交給像地中海微風這樣的家庭式餐館。


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