One year ago today, Karla Briones was vacationing in Cuba with her two kids, savouring her last few moments of serenity before her life was turned upside down.
The Mexican-born entrepreneur, who now calls Ottawa home, recalls the “mayhem” at the airport when she boarded a flight back to Canada last March 12 as travellers scrambled to get home the day after the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic.
Less than two weeks later, Premier Doug Ford ordered all non-essential businesses in the province to close their doors in a bid to curb the spread of the coronavirus. Briones, who owns a Freshii franchise in Ottawa’s west end, saw her daily sales plummet to a minuscule $30 after restaurants were relegated to offering pickup and delivery service only.
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