The commercial sector in Queretaro gradually reactivates after COVID shutdown

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Given the financial impact that the pandemic has left on businesses, 100% of Canaco Servytur members have had to restructure, negotiate or postpone debts and financial obligations.

Queretaro, Qro. After the first days of reactivation in certain areas of tertiary activities, the recovery process progresses gradually; however, the reopening occurs around the economic effects that the Covid-19 pandemic has left on the commerce and services sector.    

The president of the Queretaro delegation of the National Chamber of Commerce, Services and Tourism ( Canaco Servytur ), Carlos Habacuc Ruiz Uvalle, explained that with the reactivation, one of the first internal studies will be to identify the level of business mortality caused by the pandemic, to detect cases that could no longer continue operations.

Among the 20,000 members of the chamber, 96% have had direct and indirect effects due to the health emergency, impacting both micro-businesses and large companies.

“The impact varies according to each type of company, from micro to large, it is definitely a reality, there is a very important economic injury throughout our union, now we are going to start reactivating. The first study is to see who is no longer returning, “he said.

In the return to activity, he explained, the first phases have been of rearrangement of merchandise and adaptation of sanitary protocols, but the expectation is that there will be a recovery in sales.

“Since we started on Wednesday, it has started, not slowly, but with the accommodation of the goods, the control of the health protocols that we have to comply with, has not yet been in a total revival in business, but the mere fact of being able To have the opportunity to open and start these activities, we believe that as the days go by, the topic of the sale will improve. We already saw it coming, because protocols have to go slowly, “he added.

At least the first two weeks of reactivation (from June 17) the sector will evoke a process of adaptation to the sanitary systems and filters that each establishment must have.

“We are in the reactivation of businesses, setting the hours of the employees, I think that all this week and the one that comes next will be gradually and we will go to the new normal according to the adaptation process that we also have to do”, pronounced.

Given the financial impact that the pandemic has left on businesses, 100% of the members of the chamber have had to restructure – negotiate or postpone – debts or financial obligations, from mortgage loans, rents, automotive loans, and investments in fixed assets, etc. 

In this scenario, resorting to new loans is not a viable option for merchants, since they do not have the liquidity to cover new liabilities.

“If you are going into debt to pay off debt, it is talking about debt over debt, it is entering a vicious circle. We are trying to support the merchant so that they have a healthy debt that allows them not to close the business completely and to get ahead. The situation is very complicated, there are things that we are not going to be able to solve, in that I understand with a loan ”, he explained.

10,000 pesos Aid

Through the state’s Secretariat for Sustainable Development (Sedesu), he explained, a support program for 10,000 pesos will be operated for the affected businesses that have not received any support of their kind.

While through the camera, 700 business files have been entered interested in accessing support provided by the Querétaro municipal administration.

“A new Sedesu program came out of a support of 10,000 pesos that will be executed, for those who have not received any type of support, speaking of the municipality or the state, it is very focused on the micro for the purchase of material, fixed assets, expenses to be able to return as soon as possible (…) Being closed caused a great economic problem for all of us, but now a double job is coming, ”he added.

The Canaco delegation integrates 20,000 establishments located in the state, dedicated to the commerce, services and tourism sectors.

During 2019, tertiary activities reported an annual growth of 1.3%; Being the sector with the largest contribution to the economic growth of the state, contributing 0.7 percentage points, while the primary ones contributed 0.1 point and the secondary ones with negative values ​​of -0.5 percentage points, according to the preliminary data of the Quarterly Indicator of the State Economic Activity.

Source: eleconomista.com.mx

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