>> THE GOAL IS TO FIGHT THE FEAR AND THE FICTION WITH
FACTS, THE GOAL OF THIS SEGMENT
OF THE NEWS AT 9 WHERE WE BRING
IN EXPERTS TO DISCUSS
THE COVID 19 PANDEMIC AND ASKED
THEM QUESTIONS WE HAVE
AS WELL AS QUESTIONS SENT IN BY
OUR VIEWERS AND TONIGHT.
WE’RE JOINED BY SAN ANTONIO
EXPRESS NEWS BUSINESS EDITOR
AND COLUMNIST GREG JEFFERSON
GREG, THANK YOU FOR BEING WITH
US. PAY FOR IT.
THE VERY FIRST QUESTION WE HAVE
IS ABOUT TOYOTA,
EXTENDING THE CLOSURE OF ITS
SAN ANTONIO PLANT WHAT DOES
THIS MEAN FOR EMPLOYEES AND THE
LOCAL
LOCAL MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY.
MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY. >> WELL TATUM MADE THE DECISION
TO EXTEND THE CLOSURE OF THE
PLANT AND IT’S NOT ONLY IN SAN
ANTONIO, IT’S IT’S IT INCLUDED
14 OTHER AND NORTH AMERICAN
PLANTS. THAT
PLANTS. THAT 3 WEEKS AGO ANNOUNCED A 2 DAY
SAYING THAT A YOU KNOW
THEY WANT THEIR WORKERS TO HAVE
TIME WITH FAMILY AND PREPARE
FOR FOR THAT
CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK. IN
ADDITION TO THAT THEY WERE
NOTICING THAT THEIR NEW VEHICLE
SALES HAVE SLIPPED SO IT KIND
OF MADE SENSE TO TAKE SOME TIME
OFF AND
OFF AND YOU KNOW WET THAT INVENTORY
THAT THEY HAD BUILT UP ON
PARLANCE ACROSS THE COUNTRY
JUST KIND OF SELL OUT. BUT WE
BEFORE YOU REALLY START.
MANUFACTURING
MANUFACTURING HEAVILY AGAIN. THEY WANT THAT
EXTENDING THAT TO 2 WEEKS AND
THEN JUST THE EXTENT THAT
EXTENDED FOR WEEKS NOW TO BE A
LATE APRIL IN THERE
YOU START, AND AGAIN THE
REASONS ARE REALLY THE YOU KNOW
THERE’S A LOT OF PUBLIC HEALTH
CONCERN ABOUT WORKERS. YOU KNOW
GOING INTO THE WORKPLACE.
AND MAYBE YOU KNOW, SPREADING
THE
THE VIRUS INADVERTENTLY. BUT IN
ADDITION TO
ADDITION TO THAT A AUTO ANALYSTS ARE
EXPECTING 12 IS A VEHICLE SALES
TO PLUNGE ABOUT 35% JUST
THIS MONTH.
THIS MONTH. AND THE PROGNOSIS ISN’T MUCH
BETTER GOING INTO APRIL AND
IT’S GOING TO BE SHOCKING IF
YOU SEE A LOT OF NEW
CAR SALES HAPPEN IN THE NEXT
FEW MONTHS YOU KNOW THERE ARE
SOME REPORTS OUT THERE THAT
SOME TOYOTA PLANTS STARTED
MAKING PLASTIC SHIELDS AND MASS
FOR THE HEALTH CARE INDUSTRY.
>> ANY INDICATION, SAN ANTONIO,
MAYBE ONE OF THOSE.
THERE’S NOT BUT IT DOES STAND
TO
TO WE JUST POSTED THAT STORY
TONIGHT AND IT WAS YOU KNOW TOY
IT IS NOT. CONFIRMING
WHICH PLANTS. WE’RE GOING TO BE
PRODUCING SHIELDS AND
FACE MASKS. ONE OF ONE OF THE ORGANIZATIONS THAT THEY’RE
GOING TO BE CONTRIBUTING THESE
OF THESE
OF THESE PRODUCTS TOO IS MD ANDERSON IN
HOUSTON, SO THERE MIGHT BE SOME
REASON
REASON TO THINK. THAT YOU KNOW THE SAN
ANTONIO PLANT COULD REACTIVATE
CHRIS YET TO PRODUCE A SCARE.
YEAH, ALL RIGHT SOMETHING A LOT
OF OUR VIEWERS HAVE ASKED WHY
ARE THERE SO MANY.
>> SO-CALLED ESSENTIAL
BUSINESSES
BUSINESSES IN IT.
IN IT. >> STAYHOMEWORKSAFE I DON’T
KNOW IT. THE YEAH, INITIALLY
CITY OFFICIALS TALKED ABOUT
ESSENTIAL BUSINESSES WHEN THEY
WERE TALKING ABOUT A STAY AT
HOME ORDER. ESSENTIAL
BUSINESSES ARE BASICALLY
BUSINESSES THAT SAN ANTONIO IS
IN SAN ANTONIANS NEED
TO SURVIVE. AND THE BASICS ARE
GROCERY STORES, A HEALTH CARE
FACILITY AND OBVIOUSLY BANKS
AND OTHER FINANCIAL
INSTITUTIONS AND PHARMACY.
MEASURE OF A THROUGH
GROCERY STORES AND THERE BUT AS
WE ALL KNOW, YEAH YOU NEED
GROCERIES.
GROCERIES. BUT ONCE YOU GET AWAY FROM THAT
THE RELATIVELY SMALL LIST OF
ESSENTIAL IT REALLY GETS
MURKY AND WE HAD
YOU KNOW THROUGH 4 BUSINESS
REPORTERS RIDING AROUND TOWN
ON WEDNESDAY WHICH WAS THE
FIRST FULL DAY OF MEDIA STAY AT
HOME ORDER.
HOME ORDER. AND WE JUST FOUND
A JUST A PLETHORA OF BUSINESSES
YOU JUST WOULD NOT THINK WERE
ESSENTIAL WAY CAR
WASHINGTON’S YEAH NAIL SALONS I
MEAN JUST YOU KNOW HE KIND OF
RUNS THE GAMUT.
>> NOW A LOT OF PEOPLE AND A
NOTE SOME OF OUR VIEWERS ALSO
COMMENTING THAT LIQUOR STORES,
SHOULDN’T BE
SHOULDN’T BE CONSIDERED ESSENTIAL. BUT I DID
NOTICE THAT THE EXPRESS NEWS
ACTUALLY WROTE A STORY
ABOUT HOW REALLY THE THE LIQUOR
STORES ARE BOOMING,
RIGHT NOW.
RIGHT NOW. >> THEY ARE YEAH, I MEAN IN
GABRIEL’S WHICH WAS IS ONE OF
THE LARGER A LIQUOR STORE
CHAINS
CHAINS IN TOWN. SEVERAL MONTHS AGO
THEY WERE FORCED INTO
BANKRUPTCY IN COMPETITION WITH
BIG BOX OF WINE AND SPIRIT
RETAILERS. AND
RETAILERS. AND THEY’VE DONE REALLY WELL OVER
THE LAST 4 MONTHS THEY
HAD A THEY REPORTED TO
BANKRUPTCY COURT THAT THEIR
INCREASED NEARLY 100%. THEY’RE
DOING QUITE WELL, THEY’RE STILL
IN BANKRUPTCY AND THEY’RE STILL
UP
UP FOR SALE. BUT THEIR EXPERIENCES
IS ALMOST CERTAINLY COMMON TO
LIQUOR STORES. YOU KNOW ACROSS
THE CITY.
THE CITY. YEAH, IT SEEMS LIKE
LIQUOR STORES IN GUN STORES
DOING VERY WELL RIGHT NOW YEAH,
HOW HOW IS COVID 19 IMPACTED
OUR HOTEL AND TOURISM INDUSTRY
SO FAR.
SO FAR. >> AND IS IT GOING TO GET WORSE
OR HAVE WE HIT THE BOTTOM WHEN
IT COMES TO THIS. WELL, I
MEAN IT’S.
MEAN IT’S. >> YOU NEVER WANT TO SAY YOU
HIT THE BOTTOM IN A
CIRCUMSTANCE LIKE THIS, BUT I
MEAN YOU KNOW THE FACT OF THE
MATTER TOURISM INDUSTRY IN SAN
ANTONIO HAS
ANTONIO HAS BEEN DECIMATED I MEAN WE’VE HAD
A NUMBER OF HOTELS CLOSE
ALBEIT TEMPORARILY INCLUDING A
YOU KNOW CROCKETT UNTIL THE
MOST RECENT SAINT ANTHONY’S
HOTEL GRAND HYATT THE
CONVENTION CENTER AND THE
HOTELS THAT THAT HAPPENED CLOSE
MOST OF THEM IF NOT
ALL HAVE FURLOUGHED WORKERS AND
REALLY REDUCE STAFF PRETTY
SUBSTANTIALLY. AND THE REASON
IS OBVIOUS I MEAN YOU KNOW THE
WE STARTED HEARING ABOUT A YOU
KNOW LARGE CONVENTION
CANCELLATIONS YOU KNOW 3 OR 4
WEEKS AGO AND BETTER BET ONLY
AND YOU KNOW INTENSIFIED
AS THE VIRUS SPREAD AND THERE
WERE MORE TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS
MORE STAY AT HOME ORDERS JUST
ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
I MEAN THE FACT
IS NOBODY’S NOBODY’S TRAVELING
RIGHT NOW ARE VERY FEW PEOPLE
AND WAS A YOU KNOW YOU TALK
ABOUT BUSINESS TRAVELERS WHO
MAY NOT HAVE BEEN TALKING ABOUT
IT. BUT THAT’S NOT THAT’S NOT
ON
ON THAT LIST SUSTAIN A
HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY INS IN THE
CITY SAYS IT SENT TO YOU KNOW
WHEN THE PANDEMIC IS FINALLY
OVER GREG WILL SAN ANTONIO SEE
A SURGE IN TOURISM AGAIN.
>> ESPECIALLY YOU KNOW WITH
THINGS LIKE FIESTA.
>> DAY OF THE DEAD HAPPENING IN
THE FALL.
THE FALL. >> YEAH, I MEAN YOU KNOW IT
WILL AGAIN WE’LL JUST HAVE
TO WAIT VISIT SAN ANTONIO,
WHICH IS PUBLIC PRIVATE
MARKETING ARM FOR THE CITY
CONVENTION CENTER.
CONVENTION CENTER. >> AND FOR OTHER UH YOU KNOW
ARE LARGE CONVENTIONS MEETINGS.
YOU KNOW THEY ARE BEGINNING
TO REBOOK THEIR YOU KNOW
THEY’RE HEARING FROM THE
CONVENTION PLANNERS WHO CANCEL
NO BOOKINGS JUST OVER THE LAST
FEW WEEKS. THEY WANT TO
COME BACK. AND THEY JUST DON’T
WHEN WILL BE FREE TO DO SO.
>> WITH THE UC SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS NEWS BUSINESS EDITOR
AND OPINION WRITER COLUMNIST,
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR