Small businesses worldwide fight for survival amid pandemic

As economies around the world reopen, legions of small businesses that help to define and sustain neighborhoods are struggling. Whether they can survive will have reverberations not just for the economy but for the communities where they serve as gathering places and provide key services. The stakes are high: The U.N. estimates that businesses with fewer than 250 workers account for two-thirds of employment worldwide. For them, reopening is a testament to their grit, creativity and no small amount of desperation. It’s about finding whatever works, because for now, there is no such thing as business as usual.