Coronavirus pandemic forces over half of San Francisco storefronts to close

The coronavirus pandemic forced over half of all storefronts in San Fransisco to shutter, according to a recent survey from the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce.

To date, only 46% of storefront businesses -- approximately 1,200 storefronts -- are currently open and doing business in San Francisco, the survey indicated.

Meanwhile, 51.5% of all restaurants and eateries are closed, 77% of all bars, taverns or nightclubs are closed and 78% of all entertainment/recreation businesses remain dark.

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A spokesperson for the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce said that the current situation in San Fransisco, which is also mirrored around the country, reflects a "public health crisis, not an economic crisis" and that the path to reopening comes with two major considerations.

When deciding whether to reopen, businesses have to evaluate two major things: Whether they are allowed to open and second, "whether there is enough customer base to make it worthwhile to open," the spokesperson told FOX Business on Wednesday.

In some places, "foot traffic isn't strong enough" to justify reopening, the spokesperson said.

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As a result of the closures, restaurants reported being down by as much as 84% in July while retail was down by 35% compared to the same time a year ago, according to credit card data obtained by the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce.

Overall, businesses indicated that they are frustrated with the federal government's handling of the pandemic, the chamber said.

Until businesses see that the pandemic is under control "they won't have certainty and security in reopening," it said.

For the survey, data was collected by the chamber over the last two weeks of July.

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