CHARLOTTE — For 18 months, uptown Charlotte and other central business districts have suffered near-constant Covid-19 setbacks. First with empty offices, restaurants, hotels and bars, followed by partial-capacity allowances. Now comes the return of mask mandates as the Delta variant fuels a resurgence of cases and hospitalizations, marking a pronounced setback after an early summer filled with relief that the pandemic was waning.
Malcolm Graham, a city councilman whose district includes about half of uptown, offered the following assessment when asked how to help center city recover given the latest stumble.
“By telling everybody to take the damn shot,” he said, referring to the Covid-19 vaccine. Half of Mecklenburg County’s population has been fully vaccinated, according to state health department data — not enough to avoid significant infection rates.
Uptown boosters, elected officials, business leaders and other experts for months have pointed to offices returning to a semblance of pre-Covid levels as the turning point for a rebound. Early in the summer, as major employers began to disclose back-to-office schedules while restaurants, bars and stadiums returned to full capacity, sustained momentum appeared likely.
Now, on the cusp of Labor Day, there is only uncertainty for uptown businesses.
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(Watch Below: How Charlotte businesses will handle latest mask mandate)
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