Businesses in Queens feeling the effects of coronavirus fears

NEW YORK - Thousands of miles away from the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in China, businesses in Queens are feeling the economic impact as well.

Royal Queen Restaurant in Flushing has seen a large number of cancellations and empty tables since the beginning of the year, as many stay away from businesses associated with China even though there are no confirmed cases of coronavirus in New York. 

The Queens Chamber of Commerce President, Thomas J. Grech, along with other local figures representing local government and small business groups all dined at the Royal Queen on Thursday in an attempt to encourage New Yorkers to frequent businesses in the city’s many Chinatowns. 

The Queens Chamber of Commerce estimates that small businesses in Flushing have seen a 40 percent decline in patronage since the outbreak of the coronavirus.

So far, coronavirus has infected more than 60,000 people across the globe, but the vast majority of those cases are in China. Only 15 cases of the virus have been confirmed in the United States.