epa08364886 A person walks past a vacant store front on 42nd street near Grand Central Terminal in New York, New York, USA, 15 April 2020. The United States  Commerce Department reported that retail sales in March 2020 dropped 8.7 percent, one of the largest drops in many decades. Restrictions requiring the shut down of all non-essential businesses are still in place around the United States to stop the spread of the highly-contagious coronavirus which are having massive economic implications. Politicians and public health officials are begining to suggest plans for lifting some rules in an effort to get parts of the economy going again; many health officials are worried this will lead to another spike in COVID-19 cases.  EPA/JUSTIN LANE