Report reveals 300 New Hampshire businesses marked as permanently closed

By John Suayan | The Center Square

User review platform Yelp is reporting that about 300 businesses in New Hampshire shuttered their doors permanently since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

San Francisco-based Yelp recently published a report indicating 449 New Hampshire businesses temporarily or permanently closed between March 1 and July 10, with 280 of those businesses classified as permanently closed based on the most recent data available, WMUR reported.

Southern New Hampshire is home to about 86 businesses that went out of business because of the coronavirus. Lorna Colquhoun, communications director for the state Division of Economic Development, told WMUR the global public health crisis dealt New Hampshire’s tourism industry a big blow.

“The tourism industry is strongly affected, even as the number of visitors coming here, given the situation, is high,” Colquhoun told the station. “To that end, the department’s priority is working with the tourism industry to create the revenue streams needed to for these businesses to remain open, while creating a safe environment and confidence to visitors who come here for their summer vacations and spend their money at our attractions, lodging and restaurants, and the local communities.”

A recent poll conducted by the University of New Hampshire Survey Center revealed a hint of consumer confidence as 25 percent of respondents believe the economy is headed for a rebound.

But still, there is a long way to go.

“We’re getting hit pretty hard in New Hampshire on the economic side of this virus,” Russ Thibeault, president of Applied Economic Research told WMUR. “Ironically, the virus is under control, but our economy is still suffering.”

New Hampshire researcher warns that unemployment spike leading to rise in those lacking health insurance

An epidemiologist and a public health researcher at The Dartmouth Institute warns that the number of uninsured in New Hampshire could continue to rise.

Elliott Fisher said while a recent report from the National Center for Coverage Innovation indicated an 8 percent increase in the figure, the data used was current up to almost four months ago.

The COVID-19 pandemic caused tens of thousands in the Granite State to lose their jobs, and along with them, their health insurance coverage.

New Hampshire Business Review reported that 96,000 people, or 11 percent of the state’s population, are uninsured. In 2018, it was just 3 percent.

Many New Hampshire residents’ now-defunct coverage was through their employer, with the state having experienced a 40 percent jump among those ages 18 to 65.

“It’s a big jump,” Fisher told New Hampshire Business Review. “It’s an awful picture.”

Fisher said New Hampshire as actually better off than most states, especially those at the mercy of resurging coronavirus infections.

Fisher said minorities and low-income communities will comprise much of that figure, pointing to the massive layoffs in the food-service industry.

“As with everything else in the United States, when things go wrong, the people who suffer are low-income people and racial minorities because of centuries of systemic racism,” he said. “The burden of a loss of employment and loss of insurance is going to fall squarely on the poor.”

Fisher added that there are ways for people to remain insured even without a job. He listed COBRA as a top option.

Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons/Tedder

3 thoughts on “Report reveals 300 New Hampshire businesses marked as permanently closed

  1. Which hurts more?
    Grandma is very sick and suffering in nursing care, she get’s the virus, and passes to her rewards; the
    most common scenario.
    Her son has created a small business that promisses it might support his family, her grandchildren,
    but due to a 6 month total shut-down he invests his families assets into keeping the business going,
    He lays off one employee after another harming their families, then he closes the business which has drained the family resources, and faces a job market of no jobs.
    I know this sounds cruel – but these are the realistic choices. 50+ deaths, and tens of thousands out of work, maybe out of jobs altogether.
    We all can sacrifice for others, surely. What is suicide, how much?

  2. I’m in NH.
    I guess we are all struggling in our own messes here in each state.
    When you look at all these states that are in such severe lockdown still, like Massachusetts, we are not like them at all.. so we look pretty good in that way.
    But nonetheless, we’ve still been hit hard like everyone else.

    Locally, sadly, there were quite a few places that had literally just opened and then got whacked with this.. so they have not been able to get through this. Then you have the ones that maybe were kinda borderline making it and this situation was a deal breaker- time to close up.
    I know some smaller shops, like Antiques shops and things like that, a lot of these places are owned by folks in somewhat of a retirement age and this was their thing to keep them active and busy at that age.. make a little spending money. So these people at those ages, they choose to not do this anymore and moved into not working and fully retiring. They have no desire to work with the public now because of all of this and their age.
    So there is a lot to it all. A lot of people have re-evaluated and changed priorities.
    It’s all a loss surely.
    We are not that happy with Chris Sunnunu actually for showing us how RINO he really is..there is an excellent candidate running against him and I believe she’ll do very well.

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