Ridgefield Development Commission Releases Coronavirus Survey

RIDGEFIELD, CT — The town's Economic and Community Development Commission announced Friday the release of the Ridgefield COVID-19 Business Impact Survey.

The questionnaire is meant to gauge how the town’s 600 businesses and nonprofit organizations are performing during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The "seven-minute survey" includes 44 mostly-multiple choice questions divided among five categories including Operations and Supply Chain, Workforce, Finance, Business Resources, and Future. Data collected from the survey will help Ridgefield's leaders gain a better understanding of the COVID-19 business climate and inform which resources to pursue in support Ridgefield's business and nonprofit community.

"Now into Connecticut's Phase II re-openings, we're looking to gauge what level businesses are operating at, if they’ve been successful at shifting to a larger online presence, and whether there have been any hiccups with the move to more curbside pickup and deliveries," said ECDC chair Geoffrey Morris. "Importantly, we also want to understand the impact of federal programs like Small Business Administration loans and the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), and whether businesses have the resilience to withstand a second pandemic wave, should one occur."

One of the challenges the ECDC is hearing from businesses owners is the difficulty of wooing laid-off workers back to their jobs, according to Morris. Some workers, particularly older employees, are wary of the health risks associated with being around others in public.

An unintended consequence of the PPP is that some employees—particularly in the restaurant and retail sectors—can earn more by staying home. "There are jobs in Ridgefield now for people looking to work," said Morris.

Ridgefield-based businesses and organizations can anonymously complete the COVID-19 Business Impact Survey online here, before June 30 at 5:00 p.m.