SUMTER, S.C. — As fear over the coronavirus (COVID-19) grows, some Sumter businesses are worried that, if the virus spreads, it could affect their livelihood.
Ginger Ellis is a manager at Wards Bar-B-Que on Alice Drive.
"It's a big concern of mine and people say it's just the flu. I don't know, but I know I want to protect my customers," Ellis said.
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They've increased disinfection measures in an effort to contain the spread so customers feel comfortable eating out and their business is not impacted.
"I pray it don't even get out of hand here in South Carolina," Ellis said. "I pray for everybody, every night. It worries me."
A few doors down at Parlor Darling Salon Mandy Ewing, the owner, has similar concerns.
They haven't experienced a change in business yet, but worry that, if fears grow, people will stay at home affecting their bottom line.
"We live by our community and when our community is affected then, in turn, it affects small businesses, so we just have a little concern as to what's going to happen to us if business starts slowing down," Ewing said.
For now, it's business as usual for the salon and customers like Emily Russell are hoping that's how it will stay.
"We shouldn't panic," Russell said. "If we all panic then it affects everything -- our schools, (Ewing) can't come to work, then that becomes a big concern."
State health officials continue to encourage people to use common-sense strategies like hand washing and disinfecting to guard against the virus and maintain that, as of March 11, 2020, the threat to the South Carolina public remains low.