Respond to the threat of COVID-19 to the small business sector

If the authorities can hardly be blamed for putting a brave face on what, in many cases, has been the commendable efforts of small and micro businesses, especially those in the agriculture, craft and agro-processing sectors, to ‘absorb’ the pressure of the covid-19 pandemic, we need to remember that we are not extending this focus to the realm of illusion.

Among small and micro businesses throughout Guyana the pandemic has had a devastating impact even if it is not significantly reported. This has been particularly so in the case of those link-intensive sectors in the manufacturing, food, entertainment and small-scale retail sectors. As a result – and we’ve been able to decide this because of our coverage of small businesses during the pandemic, so far – here in Guyana there is the potential for significant numbers of small and small business closures or at least a reduction in many enterprises which once flourished.

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