The Covid Bankruptcies

Energy, Entertainment, Health and Personal Care, Travel, Hotels, Leisure, Airlines Retailers, Restaurants, oil producers and a startup professional football league, and a college-town tavern

These are some of the more than 130 companies that declared bankruptcy in the U.S. this year and blamed Covid-19 in part for their demise.

It is only a snapshot of the thousands of corporate entities that have landed in bankruptcy court since the pandemic took hold in March. And it doesn’t capture the countless businesses that closed shop permanently without seeking protection in court.

Many were in deep financial trouble even before governors ordered non-essential businesses shut to help contain the spread of the virus. Most will try to reorganize and emerge from court smaller and less-indebted. The hardest hit, however, are selling off assets and closing for good.

They include plenty of big, iconic names. Hertz and J.C. Penney and now oil producer California Resources, too.

The vast bulk, though, are small and medium-sized businesses scattered across the country.

Their downfall might not normally garner much attention, but it does underscore the full extent of the damage Covid-19 has inflicted on the economy.