Macon Reporter

State Rep. Brad Halbrook fears the long-term impact of the lingering coronavirus crisis could be the Great Recession all over again for small business owners.

“We never did recover from the 2008 dip compared to other surrounding states, and now we’re not prepared for this downturn,” Halbrook told the Macon Reporter. “Most everyone is just kind of day-by-day and that’s the best a lot of them can hope for.”

Indeed, a new U.S. Chamber of Commerce and Metlife survey finds that well more than 60% of all small businesses across the country could be closed by the middle of April due to the response to COVID-19.

In addition, 43% of businesses admit they feel they have less than six months to survive before a permanent shutdown is unavoidable and 10% indicate they have less than a month.

All across the country, businesses deemed to be nonessential by state and local governments have been ordered shuttered until further notice in hopes of slowing down the spread of the virus that as of April 13 had killed more than 20,000 people in the nation, the Centers for Disease Control reports, resulting in 4 out of every 5 states enacting statewide stay-at-home orders.

“These numbers are alarming, but what else can happen when the country is in complete shutdown mode?” Halbrook said. “We’ve been calling for a plan to say how or what are the metrics to restoring our economy to pre-corona levels. We’re trying to figure out what things need to be in place to give business people a plan to work with going forward.”

Over the last month, the national unemployment rate jumped from 3.5% to 4.4% as the economy lost upward of 700,000 jobs, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

“The governor and the president have called for some measures to cut red tape during emergency times,” Halbrook said. "Looking forward, I’m wondering if those changes are good enough to be enacted during emergency times. Maybe they’re things we can look at long term in building out this economy.”