It was nearly supper time in Turbeville, but the owner of Chat N’ Chew on Main Street was leaning back in a patio chair outside the empty restaurant, reading a paperback book.
Occasionally, one of the town’s 800 residents would stop by to pick up dinner from a takeout window. But not often.
Bernard Blackman, the restaurant’s owner for the past 12 years, is losing money to keep the restaurant open during a coronavirus outbreak that has led other businesses to reduce hours or close. But the 69 year old doesn’t want to lay off his staffers.
NEW: I spent a couple of days in Clarendon County as its coronavirus cases spiked.
I watched daily life there grind to a halt after locals failed to take the virus seriously, spending last weekend at church, drag strip races and boating on Lake Marionhttps://t.co/OpDjjKyKGc
— Avery Wilks (@AveryGWilks) April 2, 2020