Downtown Seattle is crowded with tourists, with cruise tours resuming after two years, but as the number of confirmed coronavirus cases rises again, more employees are taking sick leave, and each business is crying because of a shortage of manpower.
According to the Seattle-King County Health Department, as of May 1, the average daily number of corona infections increased by 9% to 1,006, and the hospitalization rate decreased by 6% to an average of 11 people a day.
Compared to the average daily average of 6,250 in January, the number of infections per day has decreased significantly, but it is almost double the average daily number of infections of 514 just a month ago.
As the number of corona patients increases, the tourism industry is just beginning to revive.
An official from the Seattle tourism industry said, “There are a lot of companies that have difficulties because their employees suddenly request sick leave because they are sick with the corona in the yard where there is a shortage of manpower. It took a long time,” he said.
The hardest hit is the restaurant industry. This is because cruise operations are resumed immediately and the number of tourists has increased, but sufficient manpower is not supported.
Pal Griffin, who runs the crab pot restaurant at Waterfront Pier 57, said, “All businesses will be affected, but restaurants are probably the most affected as they need more people. “I’m worried that the employees will not be able to handle it because they cannot keep up with the increasing number of customers while working two shifts,” he said.
Retail stores are no different.
Kari Higgs, who runs the Seattle T-shirt Company at Pier 55 in Seattle, said, “Recently, the number of calls from employees saying they are taking sick leave due to the coronavirus has increased significantly. did not hide his concerns.
The industry said that if there are many employees who take sick leave, it is difficult to find people to eventually fill the vacancies.
“We are very happy that the tourists are back, but we are frustrated that we can’t find workers to work with,” Kari Higgs said.
The Washington State Hospitality Association said the restaurant industry has been hit hardest by the coronavirus pandemic, with an average restaurant debt of $160,000 over the past two years.