With more and more COVID-19 cases being confirmed on the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill campus, local businesses are doing their best to limit cases of community spread.
So far, more than 600 students and staff have tested positive at UNC. Business owners who rely on college students are also counting on them to continue to practice safe health protocols, especially if they've tested positive or feel they may have symptoms.
Other WRAL Top Stories
Chapel Hill residents who are not students worry about local businesses becoming hot spots for the virus. Businesses like Epilogue Books Chocolate Brews are limiting the number of customers.
"There's always concerns, anytime you have community entering a space," said Christine Schwarz of Epilogue Books and Chocolate Brews. "All we can really do is require a mask be worn, and if anyone cannot wear a mask for any reason, we ask that they send someone who can wear a mask who can do their shopping for them."
Students at UNC make up a big chunk of Franklin Street’s customer base. Local businesses find themselves adapting as cases of COVID-19 rage through the campus community. Some students were forced to return home after the university shut down dorms. Others are still sticking around.
Other business owners said they’ve done what they could to stay COVID-19 free with students being gone. However, controlling the virus remains a big challenge.