LANSING, Mich. — The Lansing Regional Chamber is asking Governor Gretchen Whitmer to begin restarting the economy on May 1, according to new release from the chamber.
The LRCC sent a letter to the governor asking for a phased-in plan to restart the economy.
The LRCC said the letter was sent as a result of a survey of chamber members, "which showed that the business community expects to continue to experience severe challenges after restarting their businesses."
The LRCC said the survey also showed broad support for a phased-in approach to restarting the economy following the stay-home order.
“We commend the Governor for her decisive leadership during the COVID-19 crisis,” said Tim Daman, president and CEO, LRCC. “The health and safety of Michigan citizens is of the highest priority during this crisis. At the same time, businesses are suffering and we must begin to take steps toward restarting our economy in a safe and sensible manner.”
The LRCC said one-third of its members participating in the survey said they expected to experience cash flow/liquidity issues after restarting their business and more than half said they expect challenges to retaining customers.
The LRCC said 84% of its members said they support a phased-in approach to restarting the economy, providing the following survey results:
1) How has COVID-19 impacted your business?
• Deemed essential – 35%
• Significant cash flow – 32%
• Laid off some employees – 29%
• Suspended operations – 27%
• Supply chain disruptions – 21%
2) What is the biggest challenge on returning to business as usual?
• Retaining customers – 52%
• Liquidity/cash flow issues – 50%
• Implement new health protocols – 47%
• Bringing back employees – 21%
• Availability of vendors or supply chain – 21%
• Ramping up production to meet new demands – 18%
3) If the Governor’s “Stay Home, Stay Safe” EO is extended beyond April 30, do you think it should apply to the whole state or should it be based on hot spots/high-risk geographic regions?
• It should be geographically based/limited to high-risk regions – 51%
• It should apply to the whole state – 30%
• Not sure – 14%
4) Do you support a phased-in approach to restarting economic activities?
• Yes – 84%
• Not sure – 8%
• No – 3%
“We want to ensure that all our citizens are safe and healthy and we need to ensure the health of our job providers in this state,” said Daman. “We also need to strategically consider how we can recover from COVID-19 and protect our quality of life after the crisis has passed.”
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