SAN DIEGO — This will be a New Years Eve unlike any other - with the governor's shutdown looming large over any celebration. And while that is sure to hurt some businesses, others will end up benefiting.
When the clock strikes midnight, the Vistal Bar and Restaurant inside the Intercontinental San Diego hotel will sit empty. General Manager Chuck Abbott says it’s normally the opposite.
“At midnight we would do champagne toasts, so there would be a lot of activity, there would be music,” Abbot said.
But the coronavirus has sucked the life out of the party. The hotel - normally full around this time, is 75 percent empty, and in-person dining is illegal.
“It's hard,” Abbott said. "Morale wise, people are tired of what's going on,
The virus has hit San Diego’s tourism, retail and restaurants all year. But this year's holiday will actually helping some businesses that normally are not in the spotlight.
At Sisters Pizza in Hillcrest, the staff was getting ready for what could be a record night.
By noon, owner Emily Green Lake said she had 50 preorders for the evening, and had 260 dough balls ready to be made in to pies.
“The goal as a business owner is to always run out but we'll see what happens,” Lake said.
Lake says the year has been tough, with the changing rules, and investments into her patio and extra heaters not paying off. New Years Eve may provide a spark
“After such a tumultuous year, we all deserve a break, so if our big break is tonight, I'm happy to receive it,” Lake said.
The coronavirus shutdown order will persist into 2021 as ICU capacity remains zero.
Meanwhile, employment in the region is down nearly 100 thousand payroll jobs.