The once bustling Elmwood Village in Buffalo is being hit hard by the coronavirus.
The closing of most restaurants and bars, retail stores, and coffee shops has made the Elmwood strip as quiet as Christmas. That's the one day a year most businesses didn't open up until the coronavirus swept in.
"It's kind of sad," said Tanqua Everett of Buffalo. She stopped for something to drink at the Squeeze Juicery, only to find it was closed too.
"You know, it's out of safety for the community so I can respect it," Everett said.
Finding a parking spot weekday mornings along Elmwood used to be a challenge. Now it's not unusual to see whole blocks wide open.
"It's pretty quiet, the way it is right now with the precautions and everything. It's what we have to expect for now," said Kara, an Elmwood Village resident. She was among a handful of people out for a walk on a recent morning.
"We have to get out and exercise and heed to the precautions but also don't panic. Try and live your life as normal as possible. It's going to be a waiting game," Kara said.
