On this day in 2020, the Cumbria Chamber of Commerce reported a significant increase in enquiries from businesses struggling to cope with the impacts of Covid-19.
More than 5,600 businesses had accessed the chamber’s coronavirus toolkit and other online resources, highlighting the urgent need for support during the crisis.
Rob Johnston, the chamber's chief executive at the time, noted that the organisation had achieved a record 4,500 downloads of its podcasts, with its coronavirus podcast being the most popular.
The chamber also updated its toolkit to include information about a new package for the self-employed and guidance on the workings of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.
Although the chamber’s head office in Carlisle was closed, staff were working from home to manage the influx of enquiries.
Mr Johnston said: "In many cases, businesses can use the toolkit to answer their questions – that’s what it’s designed to do.
"But we’re getting calls from businesses seeking clarification on whether they should be open or looking to understand the details of the Government’s loan and grant schemes."
"We’re also feeding information from our coronavirus survey to help the British Chambers of Commerce lobby the Government.
"The British Chambers of Commerce was proactive in calling for help for the self-employed and pressing for the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme to cover employers’ National Insurance and pension contributions, as well as wages, which we now know it will.
"Currently, we’re in talking to the banks to get them to release cash under the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan scheme as quickly as possible.
"Cumbria has had more than its fair shares of crises in recent years, from foot and mouth to floods, but we’ve never experienced anything on this scale."
This story was first reported on March 30, 2020.
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