A palpable chill had settled over Park Slope on an otherwise beautiful Monday evening.
The brownstone-lined streets of this South Brooklyn enclave, typically abuzz with commuters at peak rush hour, were near empty. Stores of all kinds — from restaurants, cafes and bars to gyms and bodegas — were closed until further notice.
For a city that never sleeps, the lethargy felt out of place.
But it has become the new normal in the age of the coronavirus, which has wreaked havoc on local New York businesses as customers have stayed home out of fear and lawmakers have shut entire sectors of the city’s economy to halt its spread.
“I feel like the shock is setting in right now,” said Kyle Miller of Calexico, a Cal-Mex restaurant with seven New York locations.
“Everything’s on hold,” said Miller, assistant general manager of Calexico’s Park Slope eatery. “We’re doing the best we can.”
