Coronavirus concerns impacting Central Coast economy
SALINAS, Calif. (KION) As efforts against the spread of the novel Coronavirus ramp up in the bay area and on the federal level, the Central Coast is seeing the effects of the panic.
AllCare Pharmacy in Oldtown Salinas has been out of medical masks for about a month and a half now. They say manufacturers do not even have a date yet for when they will be able to resupply, even as customers have kept calling to order more.
"We're not able to get any at this point. We're just trying to refer patients to different businesses: paint stores, Home Depot or online," said Lisa Pacheco, a clerk at AllCare Pharmacy.
The pharmacy says because of Coronavirus concerns, manufacturers simply cannot meet the public's demand, driving up prices.
"I seen them go up as high as $30 for 50 masks, they're just different prices," said Pacheco.
Discovery Charters bus tours tells KION their business is taking a hit. This year, a summer program for Chinese foreign exchange students was cancelled. It would have brought in a couple hundred people.
Others on the Central Coast have cancelled vacation plans.
"I cancelled a trip to Thailand. I was worried about being trapped over there or in a connecting country," said Paul Chapman, a Central Coast resident.
It is Ash Wednesday for many Catholics in Salinas. The clergy at Sacred Heart Church on Stone Street says they are not doing anything differently, even with the Coronavirus shutting down events in Italy's churches - a country that has seen a recent rash of cases.
Clergy say the Bishop of Monterey has the say on whether things would change if it got worse.
"I just hope we could get some soon because we get 20 calls a day, just for masks," said Pacheco.
Despite a new case in California, things are still pretty contained here in the United States compared to some other countries. Experts continue to say there is no reason to panic.
