Two Americans waiting for a possible second round of stimulus opened up about how their livelihoods have been impacted by the pandemic.
Sean Blair was furloughed from his job at a carpet cleaning business back in March and has been dependent on the previous relief benefits. If Congress doesn’t pass a Covid-19 relief package, Blair could lose his unemployments benefits days after Christmas, CNN’s Poppy Harlow said.
Two of Blair’s family members were also diagnosed with Covid-19 and one died.
Blair’s message to Congress: “Quit playing politics with people’s lives.”
“I mean, Covid doesn’t care who you are. It kills indiscriminately. And I just want people to look back and say; ‘Hey, people need help.’ You see people going on lockdowns, going back. We’re worse off than we were in March and there’s no relief,” Blair said.
Blair is currently relying on his girlfriend’s income and said that the stimulus relief would help him pay bills. He said that the $600 unemployment relief benefit that expired was a big help.
“Some people thought that people were just lounging around and sitting at home because they were getting extra money. That helped me pay my bills, that helped me stay on track with my mortgage, pay my homeowner’s associations bills, my utilities because they’re really, really high. That extra money wasn’t — people used that. It wasn’t just to sit around,” Blair said.
Jeff Good owns three restaurants in Mississippi and was forced to lay-off a majority of his employees during the first shutdown in the spring.
Good said the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) had a short-term effect and allowed the businesses to start-up again over the summer. He’s brought back 155 employees, but is concerned about the future of his business as Covid-19 cases across the country surge and states tighten restrictions
“Sean’s and mine are two sides of the same coin. I’m in the position where I’m able to provide an incredible livelihood for a lot of folks, including myself. And to no fault of our own, to Sean’s, to mine, to none of us, this has happened,” Good told CNN’s Jim Sciutto.
“Now we’re nine months into the pandemic and we’re looking in, as Sean mentioned, a really dark time… More stimulus is needed for this economy. If we don’t pay it now, we’re going to pay it more later,” Good added.
Good said that the stimulus bill is the only way to “make up” for what he has. Good said groups who had booked his restaurant for the holiday season have cancelled and now he’s back to looking at tightening his businesses. Good is hoping that a bill designated to help restaurant owners is also passed soon to offer additional relief.
“PPP is so needed for all businesses… but we need something on top of that or else, when you go to get your bagel or you go to try to get a lunch on the corner or the mom and pop diner, we’re not making it,” Good said.
A bipartisan group of lawmakers are hoping to unveil legislation that would provide Covid-19 relief to millions of Americans this week.
Watch the full interview:
