A survey of businesses in the Somerset region found that more than 90 percent of them are being impacted, in some way, by COVID-19.
The Somerset-Pulaski County Chamber of Commercesurveyed 158 people in the business community to gather perspective on restarting the local economy.
Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Bobby Clue said the goal was to quantify perspective from a wide representation of businesses.
“It was a very well-rounded collection," said Clue. "We had everybody from retail and entertainment to restaurants and hotels, health care, agriculture, manufacturing and industry, real estate, banking education, nonprofits, technical services, all those were represented.”
The survey found that about one-quarter of those who responded reported a 50 percent decline in revenue.
Clue said a majority of businesses agreed on the issue of reopening.
“We asked them a question of when would you like to see our state open business back up, and 63 percent of the participants who answered the questions said they would like to see businesses open immediately, or at some point in the month of May,” said Clue.
Many of the businesses reported cutting their budget or trimming staff, and about one-third of the individuals who responded said they have been working remotely from home.
The Somerset-Pulaski County Chamber of Commerce represents nearly 900 members, with about 500 of those in retail.
