TAMPA, Fla. -- COVID-19’S impact has been felt particularly hard by those who fled Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria. 

Normally filled with sweets, La Creacion Bakery, specializing in Puerto Rican pastries, is feeling the losses of COVID-19. 

They're temporarily closed until this pandemic passes. 

“The situation is really hard. And we decided to close for our own well-being, our families, and our employees families. And honestly, sales have gone down too,” co-owner Ramon Ruiz said.

Ruiz and his co-owner Kelvin Cruz opened the shop just last year. Business took off. The pastries were a hit. And they credit their success to this:

“A lot of people like having contact with us, with the employees and just do life with one another. They buy the product but what people really like is coming here and feeling like family,” Cruz said.

But that all wasn’t enough to ward off the pandemic’s effects. 

Several of their employees moved here after Hurricane Maria. 

It’s yet another blow to what’s been a difficult three years for the Puerto Rican community.

“It’s affected us greatly. There are a lot of Puerto Ricans that came after the hurricane to make a better life. And after the earthquakes too. And now with this, they’re stuck in another rut again because everything is paralyzed,” Ruiz said. 

Now they're left counting down the days until they can see their customers -- that have become like family – once again.