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Ask an expert is a new feature of The Natchez Democrat that asks local experts in health, finance and other fields to answer reader-submitted COVID-19 questions.

Today’s expert is Scott Christian. Christian is a local accountant at Gillon Group in Natchez, about issues with COVID-19 regarding finances. Christian has over 20 years of experience providing clients with a variety of account solutions. His experience includes work in banking, healthcare, manufacturing and not for profit industries.

Question: What do you think the COVID-19 pandemic effect on local businesses will be and how do you think businesses in Natchez will recover?

Answer: It’s going to be tough.

We’re a local economy that counts on tourism for most of the small businesses in town and that’s our only opportunity to get new money to come in. Some small businesses aren’t even going to come back. We really wouldn’t know the full impact until this time next year when we get everything behind us and see who’s in business and who’s not.

When the government says when the nonessential businesses can open their doors up, then that’s going to be one thing.

If a shopkeeper on Main Street decides to open, then are people going to shop there? That’s the unknown in trying to find out when people are going to come back and shop again.

There’s a lot of unknowns in this that we have no history to look back and see what’s it going to look like.

 

Do you have a COVID-19 related question that you would like answered by a local expert? Email your question to newsroom@natchezdemocrat.com.