American Travel and Tourism Leaders met with the President on Tuesday and revealed that the economic fallout of COVID-19 is expected to be six times worse than the aftermath of 9/11. To put the damage in perspective, the analysis by Tourism Economics estimates that the mobility restrictions being enforced around the country will result in an $809 billion hit on the economy. 44% of that economic carnage is expected in the travel and hospitality space. 4.6 million of us face losing our jobs, nearly doubling the nation's unemployment rate.
If the numbers aren't sobering enough, there's this Facebook post from one of our favorite music venues in the Mad City:
Well, folks...that's all she wrote. Our 10th Anniversary Party was less than two weeks away. Despite all the other issues that this will cause, that fact alone really hurts. We had been looking forward to throwing a party worthy of all the fabulous customers and musicians that have been supporting this joint. Unfortunately, that party will probably never happen.
Today is the last day for the Knuckle Down in the short-term, at the very least. If this national emergency goes on too long, this might be our last day in business altogether. We certainly hope not, but it's not up to us anymore.
If today is truly our last day, thank you all so very much for your decade of support!
If you do it right, putting a place together like this is not about attracting customers...it's about creating a family. If nothing else, we did that.
Yes, you did, friends. Thanks for all the memories...and, we hope your doors open once again.
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