The COVID-19 pandemic took a massive hit on many different industries, with some still reeling from the effects that started over two years ago.
One of my closest friends decided to go back to college after struggling to survive as a full time waiter.
A few years ago, he was making a killing working at some of the elite restaurants in our city. I remember hearing about the amazing tip money he made on weekend nights back in late 2019 before things started to heat up with the virus. Even though the pandemic closures didn’t start until the middle of March 2020, some murmurs were coming out of the far east regarding the virus. Some of the first businesses to close were restaurants. Sadly, the only restaurants that could remain open had to switch to home delivery and carry out orders. By mid 2022, many of these places have already closed down. My friend is now working for a large building development company in their head office. He said right now it’s tough because the supply line disruptions with rebar tie wire has put them behind on building projects that were planned from over two years ago. Forming wire is at a premium right now, especially the certified domestic rebar wire coils. Stainless steel rebar is almost impossible to find as it’s commonly used for bridges and other exterior structures exposed to lots of moisture. Unless the supply of steel rebar tie wire increases, my friend’s employer is going to stay behind on various building projects and contracts. It’s an unfortunate situation.