Grey County has the results of a survey by businesses affected by COVID-19.
The survey was open from March 18th to April 9th. A second survey is out now.
In the first survey, about 45 per cent of businesses said they are significantly impacted by the pandemic.
318 businesses responded representing about 3,500 employees.
Industries included, retail, manufacturing, constructions, professional services, hospitality, healthcare, agriculture, transportation and many other small categories.
178 businesses said they may have to shut down, affecting about 2,091 employees.
125 businesses said they made layoffs, representing about 2,193 employees.
In terms of cash flow, about 29 per cent said they need help immediately. Roughly 42 per cent said they would have difficulty making ends meet in a few months and about 20 per cent said they'd be okay for six months.
94 businesses said a deferral of municipal fees would help them, including things like not having to pay penalties on late property taxes.
44 of them highlighted a desire for community awareness and marketing.
The County said respondents put a strong emphasis on encouraging people to shop local.
179 out of 318 businesses responded saying they needed financial help from the government.
The County says many responses showed little or no interest in financial aid in the form of a loan.
Other businesses said they needed help with commercial rent.
Meanwhile, County staff say a second survey takes a deeper dive into understanding the current situation resulting from the pandemic.
Using the results of the first survey, the County launched the Community & Business Resiliency map to promote essential and non-essential businesses.
It also pushed the results to upper levels of government for use in program and policy development.
Right now, the County is working on developing a call-in option for businesses looking for further guidance around government programs.
It's also working on recovery planning, targeted marketing initiatives and grants through community improvement plans.
Economic Development staff say they also received a clear mandate for recent tax and fee deferrals, and they say those are being implemented locally.
You can find more resources on the County's COVID-19 Business Resource web page.