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Three per cent of businesses have shut their doors for good because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and 47 per cent believe they will have to in the future, according to the latest survey by the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce.

The results, released Tuesday, also show 86.3 per cent have seen drops in revenue and 60 per cent have had to lay off staff. About 40 per cent of businesses have shut down their offices.

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The survey collected responses from all chamber members between March 24 and 29.

Only 4.9 per cent said they couldn’t make payroll over that time period while 25 per cent said they do not have enough cash to make the next payroll period.

“To say that we’re concerned would be an understatement,” Chamber president and CEO Janet Riopel said in a video message. “We know that accessing benefits must be as easy as possible. Whether you are applying for EI or interest-free loans, if you cant get these supports quickly then the system simply isn’t working. We know there are much more governments need to do in order to support businesses like yours.”