The notecards poking from bouquets rushing out of a Chicago florist all carry similar messages: looking forward to celebrating in person.
The notes aren’t sad, said Kate Prince, a co-owner of Flora Chicago on the citys North Side. Theyre hopeful.
On this Valentines Day, Americans are searching for ways to celebrate love amid so much heartache and isolation as the coronavirus pandemic stretches past its year anniversary. Some are clinging to hope, seen in the most vulnerable and frontline workers getting vaccinated, in loosening restrictions on restaurants in the hardest hit places, in case numbers starting to wane. But the death toll is still climbing toward a half-million dead in the United States and many remain shuttered in their homes.
Prince said florists are scrambling to keep up with the onslaught of orders from people trying to send their love from a safe distance.
We are crushed, she said.
Phones are ringing off the hook at restaurants in cities that have loosened restrictions…