How COVID-19 Impacted a Student’s Job

Worldwide, many people became unemployed overnight due to the outbreak of COVID-19, also known as the coronavirus. It’s recorded that 36 million Americans filed jobless claims since the virus arose in early 2020, and it’s no surprise that the sudden change in reality took a toll on their everyday life. Senior Kiley Banks is one of these individuals, as her experience working at BB’s Tex-Orleans has changed during the pandemic.

“When I got laid off in the beginning of COVID-19, I was really devastated because work was my getaway from my family,” Banks said. “I’m an only child, which means I don’t have anyone my age to go to at home [and makes] me feel really alone. At work, I have many co-workers who are close friends of mine that I consider my older brothers and sisters.”

Many of Bank’s co-workers, including 22-year-old Shelby Stone, also face obstacles due to COVID-19.

“As a manager, I still had my job, but it was hard not having a lot of my co-workers there,” Stone said. “I definitely missed some people, but the best thing I could do was remain positive until things got better.”

Unfortunately, though, the lack of both workers and customers in places such as BB’s meant adjustments were needed in order to keep the business running.

“When the pandemic began, we were starting our crawfish season, which is what the restaurant is mainly known for,” Banks said. “Because the majority of employees got laid off, we had no choice but to cut our season short. We ended up selling live crawfish to get some money for the time being and not waste food.”

Additionally, many restrictions and guidelines, such as wearing masks, are set for businesses by the government in order to protect people as much as possible and restrict potential transmissions of the virus — but not everyone cooperates. Banks struggles with customers who reject the minimum requirements when in the restaurant.

“There are cases where people refuse to wear a mask for selfish reasons, which creates problems for the workers even though we’re just trying to keep customers safe,” Banks said. The people who contribute to this problem are most likely why COVID-19 is still here today.

These newfound struggles are still hard to adjust to at times, but Banks has hope — hope that soon the conditions will improve for everyone to be healthy and safe while enjoying different places and experiences.