In another sign of the devastating effects the coronavirus has had on the economy, the organisation 1819 Brussels says it has received five times the number of requests for support from entrepreneurs in the last year.
In 2019, prior to the onset of the pandemic, they processed about 715 aid applications a month.
But between March 2020 and February 2021, they received 41,483 requests related to Covid-19, plus another 5,779 applications that made no mention of the coronavirus, averaging about 3,938 a month.
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Businesses in the trade and distribution sector accounted for about 19% of those requests, followed by the catering sector with 14%, the service sector with 10%, and health and welfare with 8%.
The majority of the applications were requests for financial support.
Many of Brussels’ businesses have suffered tremendously as a result of the coronavirus measures, forced to close their doors indefinitely until the spread of the virus has gotten under control.
Bankruptcies have also risen with the pandemic.
Helen Lyons
The Brussels Times
