DERRY JOURNAL Editorial: Choose local and help save local jobs

Restarting a devastated economy brings many challenges, and is viewed by economists as necessary if we are to avoid economic annihilation.

It will help protect many of the jobs and businesses which have been so badly affected by the lockdown closures, none more so than smaller and local traders, as long as everyone plays their part.

Following months of stillness and lives lived at a more unhurried pace, the easing of restrictions seems to be coming thick and fast when you look at the increase in traffic on our roads, the reopenings and how many more of us are now venturing out.

Change has also come at a rapid pace for our local businesses and organisations and those who work in them. Many of them have been forced to close for months, while taxi drivers, hairdressers, tradespeople, tourism businesses, artists, photographers and local media have seen their incomes plummet.

Our local businesses have had, or have now, the huge task of trying to restructure their premises and working practices to ensure the safety of staff, customers or clients, and for those that have been closed, the flurry of announcements that they can reopen will have given them in some cases just days to get everything in order.

Last week it emerged that there were a staggering 19,040 people who have been either furloughed or supported in other ways through government schemes in Derry & Strabane area over the past few months. That’s around one in three people with a job in this city and district. In an ideal world, everyone would be able to return to work as the governments wind down their furlough schemes. But many employees and employers still face uncertain futures. Most projections say that this will be much worse that the situation with the global financial crash of 2008. Added to this is the uncertainty at this late stage with regards to what will happen with Brexit.

It’s worth repeating that the businesses and organisations in the north west, from Derry to Dungiven, Buncrana to Strabane took the massive step, alongside schools and health organisations, of preparing and going into lockdown early. They saved lives and many of them have been to the fore of helping the most vulnerable in our communities over these past few months. Now we have a chance to show our gratitude.

We have all done our bit by staying indoors, maintaining social distancing and doing everything asked of us and more, and now we can help in another way: We can do our bit to protect the jobs of local people and help businesses stay afloat now by shopping, staying and choosing local wherever and whenever it is safe to do so.