B.C.'s COVID-19 restart plan is welcome news for numerous businesses throughout the province, with a new survey showing some could have lost their business if restrictions continued through the summer.
The Burnaby Board of Trade says a survey of local businesses, with hundreds of respondents, revealed 11% wouldn't expect to stay in business through the summer if current restrictions and health orders stayed in place.
But some businesses (46%) said they have actually seen an increase in their revenues during 2020, while two-thirds said they would be able to survive through the year or longer if the pandemic in B.C. gets worse.
The board of trade says another 31% are still seeing their revenues drop while another 11% said they would only be able to survive for three months or less without changes to the business sector.
“What this survey shows is how important it is that the Restart Plan rolls-out as expected, as some businesses simply cannot hold on for much longer," President and CEO of the Burnaby Board of Trade Paul Holden said in a news release.
"And with so much of our restart depending on vaccination rates, this survey should serve as a reminder for everyone to register and get their shot to support our local business community."
With return to workplaces included in the provincial restart plan, 90% of survey respondents said they are planning at least a partial return to in-person work while another 43% stated they are expecting to see a complete return.
“Businesses have been incredibly adaptive over the pandemic, and what this survey reveals is that while they will continue to find ways of adjusting to new working styles, they also value the collaboration and engagement of the physical workplace," Holden added.
The full results of the survey, completed over six weeks in the spring, is available online through the Burnaby Board of Trade website.
