COVID-19 pandemic began in the region.The survey, carried out in September and October 2020, was conducted by the Southeast Economic Recovery Task Force, a collaborative group that includes city or town officials from Moncton, Dieppe, Riverview and Sackville, as well as the Moncton Chamber of Commerce, Working NB and several other groups.Its goal is to work towards economic recovery by offsetting the loss of workers and businesses in downtown Moncton endured during the pandemic.“Several companies expressed concern for downtown Moncton’s vitality due to COVID, although many also said they had encouraged their employees to shop local and spend personal time downtown,” read a task force news release.