'People are on edge right now': San Francisco businesses boarding up in fear of burglaries during shelter-in-place
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- During the shelter-in-place caused by the novel coronavirus, some San Francisco businesses are boarding their windows out of fear they could be burglarized.
"When the times get tough, the tough gets going," that's the way Evan Kidera, owner of Señor Sisig describes a video of his restaurant getting vandalized two days ago.
"People are on edge right now. You know, there is no telling of what people are capable of. We are concerned" said Kidera.
When we asked the owner of Edri Construction how many businesses they've boarded up in the last two weeks, the answer was easy.
"Twenty to thirty businesses," said Avi Edri.
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Along Union Square, some of the high-end stores that had expensive products displayed on their windows now are covered with plywood.
"This pandemic is creating a shortage. Toilet paper for a while, masks, or hand cleansers, and well, there is a shortage of plywood. It's getting tougher and tougher to find the stuff to put up," said Phil Matier, ABC7 News commentator and SF Chronicle Insider.
Matier says the boarded-up businesses are a sign of multi-million-dollar losses San Francisco business owners are experiencing.
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"We're going to have a lot less money floating around. San Francisco is already estimating a $100 million dollar loss in taxes a month," said Matier.
Meanwhile, construction companies keep getting calls to board-up more businesses because for many, covering a glass or door is less expensive than losing what's inside.
"Just close everything, close the doors the windows, and board up everything. We don't want any accessibility to anybody. People are desperate right now to protect their businesses," said Edri.
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