The disease claimed the lives of nearly two million people worldwide in 2020, more than 350,000 Americans and more than 25,400 Californians.
Businesses like Baci Bistro and Bar in Pleasanton, like so many in the Bay Area, can only remember what a regular New Year’s Eve would look like.
“It would be a full house, waiting list and extended hours,” said Baci owner Gabby Agheli.
There’s no live music this year, the tunes and sounds of a partying crowd blasting out the front door replaced by background music.
Empty chairs and tables covered with the one segment of Baci’s business that’s booming this New Year’s Eve – takeout.