The Collateral Damage of the Coronavirus
As shopping centers emptied, shows were canceled and office towers turned dark, millions of people suddenly found themselves without jobs.
By Brent Lewis and
They are ad executives, handymen, servers and wedding D.J.s. They worked in law firms and hotels and retail stores and concert halls. As the outbreak spread, the coronavirus sucked workers from every corner of the American economy.
The unemployment rate soared last month to 14.7 percent, the highest level on record, according to government data released Friday. In February, it was 3.5 percent, a half-century low. While states try to gradually reopen after sheltering and shutdowns, barely more than half the adult population of the United States now has a job.
Among those who lost their jobs, many were furloughed, left with a sense of hope that their situations were temporary. Freelancers and self-employed entrepreneurs found themselves without gigs. Others were laid off.
Some people tried to find new jobs, unsure if any existed, or applied for unemployment benefits, only to find themselves stuck in interminable bureaucracy. Many stretched the stimulus checks they received from the federal government. They learned to live lean — canceling subscriptions, rationing food and pleading with creditors for extensions. They felt pressured by stress, or loneliness, or uncertainty.
Nicky Koutsoumbas
Retail Sales Associate, Las Vegas
Last worked on April 5
“I want life to go back to normal, to go to work, to be surrounded by my co-workers, to have something to do.”
Ibelis Gonzalez
Server, Jersey City, N.J.
Last worked on March 15
“I’m not looking for a handout. I’m just looking for these benefits. I don’t have a dollar to my name.”
Wen Qian
Musician, New York
Last worked on April 1
“The level of anxiety and fear is growing by the day … we have no support with our profession in the entertainment field.”
Dustin Sullivan
Hotel Front Desk Clerk, New York
Last worked on March 19
“The journey to get through to unemployment has been unpleasant, if unsurprising. I tried filing online dozens of times, only to have it boot me out of the process at various points. ”
Fern Weinbaum
Legal Secretary, New York
Last worked on March 30
“It’s very scary. Every day I wake up hoping I will get my unemployment benefits, but I haven’t gotten it.”
Kendall Clark
Information Technology Recruiter, Houston
Last worked on March 15
“I’m stuck, I’m frustrated, and I don’t really know where to go from here.”
Carol Cruz
Mental Health Worker, Tulare, Calif.
Last worked on March 28
“I’m not letting myself think about tomorrow, just about whether we have food today and money in the bank.”
Josalyn Taylor
Restaurant Assistant Manager, Galveston, Texas
Last worked on March 16
“I used my stimulus check to pay my light bill, and I’m using that to keep groceries and stuff in the house. But other than that, I don’t have any other income, and I’m almost out of money.”
Seth Flicker
Handyman, New York
Last worked on March 16
“We are stuck with absolutely nowhere to turn.”
Kayla Walker
Events Manager, Atlanta
Last worked on April 15
“I was grateful that my role was not terminated completely, but it was definitely still a shock and I had to think quickly about how I would manage.”
Danny Wicentowski
Journalist, St. Louis
Last worked on March 18
“This was my first journalism position out of college. I’d thought we would all ride out the storm together. Instead I lost my dream job.”
Elise Quivey
Web Designer, Chicago
Last worked on March 17
“There’s so many things up in the air right now, and it’s so stressful.”
Carrie Hines
Advertising Executive, Austin, Texas
Last worked on April 20
“I never imagined this kind of job market where the entire advertising industry has been crushed.”
Krissy Calbert
Bartender, Minneapolis
Last worked on March 15
“It was two weeks of just panic — I was just going off the groceries I already had, trying to ration until money came in.”
Helen Williams
Lead Server, Monterey, Calif.
Last worked on March 17
“We have not been able to afford to pay rent. We paid for the utilities and bought food. If we paid rent on top, we literally wouldn’t have anything left.”
Elizabeth Mora
Supply Chain Manager, Las Vegas
Last worked on March 14
“In a moment, I became both jobless and homeless.”
Amanda Cusimano
Dental Hygienist, Felton, Calif.
Last worked on March 17
“I know my job as a dental health care professional is extremely high risk, and I knew that I would be first to be laid off and last to be reinstated.”
Scott Weinstein
Freelance Theater Director, Chicago
Last worked on March 13
“All my friends in the theater industry essentially lost their jobs and livelihoods the same day. The ripple effect of it knocked me back.”
Erica Battle
Education Consultant, Nashville
Last worked on March 16
“It was like, this is unbelievable, this is not really happening.”
Jimmy Lutz
Wedding D.J., Poughkeepsie, N.Y.
Last worked on Feb. 29
“Other generations have dealt with far worse with wars and such. It also helps just knowing that we’re all in this together for once.”
Kai Murray
Head of Ticketing for Pro Sports Teams, Memphis
Last worked on March 27
“We’re praying my wife doesn’t lose her job … but we have cut back, and will continue to dip into our savings when necessary.”
Chelsea Knox
Musician, New York
Last worked on March 31
“When music is your job, you’re always working toward the next performance, but now that we don’t have a next performance, our only goal is for our son to grow up knowing the joy that music can bring.”
