coronavirus

Oxford Restaurant Closes, Lays Off Employees Due to Coronavirus

connecticut department of labor
NBCConnecticut.com

Days after restaurants in Connecticut, as well as New York and New Jersey, closed for any service other than take-out, 121 Restaurant and Bar in Oxford has shut its doors due to the coronavirus outbreak and notified the state Department of Labor that it has laid off all its 41 employees.

The governor signed an executive order earlier this week that said restaurants could only serve food or non-alcoholic beverages for consumption off-premises from March 16 through April 30 to help prevent spread of the virus.

Some restaurants continue to serve take-out, while others have closed.

The letter that Oxford LLC, which operates 121 Restaurant and Bar, sent to the Department of Labor said that given the executive order and “with no end to the pandemic in sight, we regret that we have no choice but to lay off our entire workforce on short notice.”

“While we cannot predict the business trends with certainty, we do not at this point expect conditions will improve in the near future. You should therefore consider this RIF (reduction in force) to be permanent,” the notice says.

More than 40,000 people in Connecticut have filed for unemployment in Connecticut since Friday,

If you're have been laid off or are worried you're going to be laid off, or you are a small business feeling the strain of the virus, here is some basic advice from officials, legal experts and budgeting officials.

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