A shopper in a facemask walks down an almost deserted Henry Street in Dublin’s city centre (PA)Almost a quarter of companies that responded to the survey by the Central Statistics Office say they have ceased trading temporarily while a third have let staff go. The online survey was sent to a sample of 3,000 businesses and the information was collected between Monday 20 and Friday 24 April. The response rate to the survey was 26.4pc, the CSO said. “The results show that of the enterprises that responded to the Business Impact of COVID-19 Survey, 23.3pc had ceased trading temporarily during the period 16 March to 19 April, 0.6pc had ceased trading permanently, and 76pc continued to trade,” statistician, Colin Hanley, said in a statement. Read MoreAmong construction companies, 701pc had ceased trading either temporarily or permanently, while in accommodation and food services 88.1pc had ceased trading.

Source: Irish Independent May 01, 2020 10:52 UTC