HALIFAX -- With no clear end to COVID-19 restrictions, there's growing concern about temporary business closures becoming permanent.
At the beginning of March, Najib Faris owned one of the most popular new restaurants in the Halifax Regional Municipality.
"Everything was great and we were looking to expand into a bigger space and bigger team," said Faris.
But COVID-19 ruined everything.
Delivery and takeout was not a viable option, so Faris had to shut down completely.
"We're a month in and now it's looking like a permanent closure," said Faris. "As a new business, we don't have the cushioning or cash flow to sustain for tough times. We've only been in business for 14 months."
The owner of the Menz & Mollyz night club in Halifax made the decision to close permanently this week, and says COVID-19 played a role.
"For small business, there's always challenges you have to deal with," said Menz & Mollyz owner Dave Landry. "For me, it was a way to be able to go out more graciously than saying I'm going to close in three months or six months to the community."
A survey out this week from the Canadian Federation for Independent Business found that only 20 per cent of its members are fully open.
Thirty per cent say they don't have a cash flow to pay for bills from April, while 39 per cent are worried about a permanent closure.
Patrick Sullivan of the Halifax Chamber of Commerce says it's a difficult industry.
"The average restaurant only has about 15 days of cash, that's what the statistics tell us," Sullivan said.
Sullivan says programs like the Nova Scotia small business impact grant could be helpful.
"But it is only limited to organizations ordered closed and many small business retailers have not been ordered closed, they've been advised to close or closed because they don't have the social distancing capacity," Sullivan said.
Faris says none of the programs offered to date would be able to help him.
He's hoping to find way back into food industry when the pandemic is over.
