Almost 50% of companies working outside the financial sector say they might go bust if the coronavirus pandemic lasts more than six month, according to research by national statistics agency CBS and several employers’ organisations.

The research carried out at the beginning of April, also shows 15% of firms say they cannot survive beyond two months of crisis.

Small firms, with five to 20 employees, are most pessimistic, with 22% saying they will fold if the crisis lasts two months. This rises to 36% for the hospitality industry. Landlords and property companies are the least pessimistic with just 4% saying they cannot last two months.

Some 75% of companies in the survey said they expected a reduction in turnover in the second quarter of the year, with 44% forecasting a drop of more than 22%.

Meanwhile, supermarket online sales continue to soar, hitting a record €36.7m last week. The increase is due to an easing of capacity problems, now more staff have been taken on to meet demand, Retail News reported.