Coronavirus: Where in the Bay Area will retail be hit hardest by COVID-19? Here's what we found

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Retail businesses across the Bay Area are bracing for a big hit due to the coronavirus shelter-in-place order.

New data obtained by the ABC7's I-Team indicates what areas will be hit the hardest.

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Three counties stand out: Solano, Sonoma and Marin.

"It's going to be hard on a lot of businesses, but retail particularly hard," said Mark Taylor, General Manager of 'Mike's Bikes' in Sausalito.

According to an ABC7 analysis, Marin County's retail sector is expected to be the second hardest-hit across the Bay Area.

Roughly, 15% of all private employees across the county work in retail. Sonoma County is close behind with 14%.

Whereas, San Francisco has the lowest with roughly 7%.

Here is a full list of where each county stacks up:

So what area is bracing for the worst? It's Solano County.

ABC7's data analysis found nearly one in five employees across the county work in retail. That's the highest rate in the Bay Area.

Despite the county getting a head start on lifting restrictions last week, consumers are still concerned what the "new normal" will look like.

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"Imagine you're going into a store where there's lots of people, hardly any are circulating, thinking about the people that you're going to get infected," said Vallejo resident Manny Espinoza.

"It's still killing people," said Bertha Thomas.

Taylor is the rare exception as his bike shop is deemed essential.

"Business is crazy right now... it's been hectic...," said Taylor.

"But for other businesses in our area, rent is coming soon... I'm concerned."

According to the data, retail employees make up roughly 10% of all those privately employed across the Bay Area.

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