Trump Hails Virus Cure Progress as Restaurants Seek Added Help

Millions of restaurant workers have lost jobs due to pandemic
Restaurants ask for Paycheck Protection Program extension

Customers sit as employees prepare food in a restaurant in New Orleans on May 16.Photographer: Bryan Tarnowski/Bloomberg

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By Justin Sink and Jordan Fabian

May 18, 2020 at 7:47 PM UTC

Updated on

May 18, 2020 at 10:57 PM UTC

This article is for subscribers only.

President Donald Trump assured restaurant owners that therapies and a vaccine for the coronavirus and a tax cut would restore their businesses, after they asked him to broaden a small-business lending program.

The U.S. coronavirus outbreak has heavily damaged the restaurant industry, which saw most dining room business evaporate as customers confined themselves to their homes in fear of infection. Millions of restaurant workers have lost their jobs since March.