Many business owners have taken a major hit due to the coronavirus and Beta brings another hurdle.
“So as soon as you see anything about a hurricane, your skin just starts to crawl. 'Oh please, not another one, please, please, please,'” said Donna Townsend, owner of Legends Saloon.
Townsend says concerns with the coronavirus have hurt her businesses, causing her to change her operation models.
“Well, all the stress that I had with paying bills and trying to stay alive, I had to go get this food and beverage license,” she said.
After getting certifications for both food and drink sales, workers had to comply with social distancing regulations.
Face masks are required, customers must sanitize when they enter the door.
However, the biggest adjustment for the saloon is having to prosper while operating at 50 percent capacity.
“The food is actually more important because if people don’t dine, and I don’t make those numbers then they could say ‘well sorry’ you know and take it away from you,” she said.
Townsend says there have many obstacles to reopen in the past few months because of the pandemic. Now, tracking Beta's movements only adds to her concerns.
“Yeah, your anxiety goes up again," she said. "Who wants to lose a building? Who wants to lose a home? And then under all these circumstances when you’re trying to make it, you know?"
Meanwhile, as heavy rain and winds are expected to douse the Rockport-Fulton area, Townsend says she’s going to continue to serve her customers.
