SUMTER, S.C. — The impact of the global coronavirus pandemic continues to be felt at businesses across the state as many are forced to close due to a lack of customers.
"Initially, we were trying to stay open and stay positive," Janet Morlan said.
She and her husband, Richard, have run the Flowers & Baskets shop in Sumter for more than a year.
"...but with our vendors not being able to come, and the orders weren't there and, of course, no walk-in traffic, we decided that it would be a good idea to close," she said.
The thought of trashing all of their flowers was heart breaking. So, instead, they decided to to use them to spread a little joy to those working on the front lines.
"We just sent them to the police department, sheriff's department and fire department and then I had several customers that patronized us throughout the year and I wanted to give them a little something too," she said.
They also delivered them to local nursing homes and the Sumter area-hospital.
"Right now, we're just being inconvenienced. They are putting their lives on the line," she said.
"We're just very, very glad that we were able to do for our community. The people on the front lines, like she said, that are fighting this thing every day," Richard Morlan added.
Although the future ahead is uncertain, they're hopeful for a positive return.
"Anybody that's not worried, shame on them. Sure we're worried," Richard Morlan said. "We will survive this. We will be back for our community... and if it's more than two weeks, it's more than two weeks, but we will survive this and we will be back."
For general questions about COVID-19 visit the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control website at scdhec.gov/COVID19 or the CDC website here.