With people being told to social distance to help ease the coronavirus pandemic, businesses across the country and in New England are starting to take a financial hit.
National Amusements, the owner of Showcase Cinemas, announced Tuesday it is shutting down its theaters in North America. Their cinemas, which include many in Massachusetts, will close by 8 p.m. Monday and will not resume operations by April 7, according to a statement by National Amusements.
"All tickets purchased in advance for future shows will be refunded and all Showcase Subscribe membership accounts will be placed on hold," read a statement from the company.
Massachusetts-based Jordan's Furniture also announced they are closing all stores beginning Wednesday due to the pandemic.
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"The safety and health of both our guests and our J-Team is paramount. In the past few weeks, we have taken all necessary steps and preventive measures to keep our stores clean and safe," Jordan’s Furniture President Eliot Tatelman said. "However, it became apparent during the last few days that the right thing to do is to simply close all stores until we, as a community and as a country, have a better idea about the coronavirus."
The company did not say when they will reopen.
Major national retailers also announced temporary closures including Macy's and Nordstrom. Those stores are located in many malls in Massachusetts.
At the Burlington Mall, the closed signs were up at many stores on Tuesday saying they want to keep their customers and employees safe.
"I've noticed it and I think it's very important that it happens because we don't want to spread the coronavirus," shopper Mary Darby said.
While some workers will get to work from home, others will have their shifts cut. Some companies said they will still pay employees during the closures, but others will not.
"That's the only difficulty I see with all this," said one shopper.
"It's really terrible and it's kind of affecting everybody," added Darby.
The alternative to stores being closed is that many are encouraging people to shop online.
