Photo by Jeff Abell
The view of Jefferson Street in downtown Burlington marked a stark contrast from a typical busy Saturday afternoon. Rather than cars filling parking stalls and shoppers darting in and out of retail shops, Jefferson Street was mostly silent save a few retail stores offering curbside delivery.
On Thursday, non-essential retail shops were ordered by Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds to close their storefronts to foot traffic in an attempt to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus. Downtown retailers are offering delivery and shipping for their customers and those who do shop are urged to support small businesses.