The Day

■ Global economies threatened.

- By MARTIN CRUTSINGER

Washington — The resurgence of coronaviru­s cases engulfing the United States and Europe is imperiling economic recoveries on both sides of the Atlantic as millions of individual­s and businesses face the prospect of having to hunker down once again.

Growing fear of an economic reversal coincided with a report Thursday that the U.S. economy grew at a record 33.1% annual rate in the July-September quarter. Even with that surge, the world’s largest economy has yet to fully rebound from its plunge in spring when the virus first erupted. And now the economy is slowing just as new confirmed viral cases accelerate and rescue aid from Washington has dried up.

If many consumers and companies choose — or are forced — to retrench again in response to the virus as they did in the spring, the pullback in spending and hiring could derail economic growth. Already, in the U.S. and Europe, some government­s are re-imposing restrictio­ns to help stem the spread of the virus.

In Chicago, where Gov. J.B. Pritzker of Illinois has banned indoor dining and drinking, Grant DePorter, who runs Harry Caray’s Restaurant Group, worries that the blow to restaurant­s and their employees could be severe.

When indoor dining was first shut down in the spring, he noted, employees could get by thanks to a $600-a-week federal unemployme­nt benefit. That benefit has expired.

“Everyone is incredibly disappoint­ed by the state’s decision,” DePorter said.

In France, President Emmanuel Macron has declared a nationwide lockdown starting today. And in Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel announced a four-week shutdown of bars, restaurant­s and theaters. Merkel warned of a “difficult winter” as Germany’s daily reported coronaviru­s cases hit a new high Thursday.

A major uncertaint­y is whether most people will abide by government directives or whether the resistance to lockdowns and other restrictio­ns that have emerged in parts of the United States and Europe will slow progress in controllin­g the pandemic.

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from United States