More than one in five New Jersey businesses closed due to government mandate amid pandemic

(The Center Square) – Nearly 22.4% of New Jersey businesses closed due to a government mandate amid the COVID-19 pandemic, a new survey from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reveals.

Meanwhile, more than 58.8% of businesses in the state saw a decrease in demand for products or services. New Jersey ranked below Illinois, which topped the category at nearly 61.2%.

Just 15% saw no impact amid the pandemic, which was “relatively similar” to the national average. Businesses in the District of Columbia saw the lowest disruption, with more than 25.9% of companies reporting no impact from the pandemic.

Nearly 12.7% of businesses in the Garden State reported difficulty moving or shipping goods. Puerto Rico topped the category, with almost 22% of companies saying they had a hard time moving or shipping goods.

In New Jersey, just 11% saw an increase in demand for products or services, and 37.5% experienced a shortage of supplies or inputs. At nearly 18.8%, businesses in Maine saw the most significant increase in demand for products or services, while 42.1% of Alaska businesses saw a shortage of supplies or inputs, the highest in the country.

Amid the pandemic, state lawmakers have considered several bills they said would help small businesses, including a measure to exempt some small businesses with no employees from a mandate they obtain workers’ compensation insurance. Meanwhile, on Monday, Gov. Phil Murphy signed legislation to reduce businesses’ unemployment insurance (UI) contribution rate.

Separately, some state Senate Republicans pointed to a new study in Nature Communications they say challenges lockdowns’ efficacy.

“The Governor has been saying all along that he was following the science, but he has never divulged the sources of his data,” state Sen. Joe Pennacchio, R-Montville, said in a statement.

“Science has never supported Murphy’s aggressive stranglehold on the economy, which has done more harm than good for our state,” Pennacchio added. “The failure to apply science and data to the Administration’s public policy was also questioned by some of those within the state department of health.”

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