The baby steps for reopening begins this weekend, and it's welcome new to shuttered businesses everywhere. But doubts and uncertainty cloud the business forecast.
It seems to be a mix of excitement and dread:
"We're very excited about the opening this weekend because it's just the smallest spark of us coming back," said Stephen Perry, President and CEO of New Orleans & Company, the city's lead tourism promoter. "It's going to be a building block, the first building block, but it's going to take a while."
For the next three weeks, businesses, including those in the tourism industry, will be running at most a quarter of maximum capacity. Industry experts say they typically don't do projections based on anything less than half. Perry said he fears many businesses won't survive that.
"This is going to be a three or for year process to get back, and a lot are not going to make it in the small business world in New Orleans."
