As coronavirus continues to spread across U.S., Whatcom businesses ponder next steps
Local businesses are stepping up deep cleaning efforts, but may start taking new steps now that the first confirmed case has arrived in Whatcom County.
The first confirmed case of COVID-19 was announced on Tuesday afternoon, March 10.
Businesses are letting customers know through social media and other means about what preventative measures they are taking. In a Facebook post, the Trampoline Zone noted a variety of changes, including increasing daytime cleaning of high-frequency touchpoints. Harbor Freight, which has tool stores across the U.S. including in Bellingham, sent out an email about increased sanitation efforts at its stores.
Stepping up sanitation efforts is the most common step Guy Occhiogrosso is hearing from Whatcom County businesses. Occhiogrosso, president and CEO of the Bellingham Regional Chamber of Commerce, said at this point he’s hearing discussions about further steps such as adjusting staff levels and store hours or having people work from home, but many are waiting to see if Whatcom County if more confirmed cases arrive.
The chamber recently put together a page on its website about the coronavirus, which includes business resource links to go along with links to the important health information.
Coronavirus is spread through contact between people within six feet of each other, especially through coughing and sneezing that expels respiratory droplets that land in the mouths or noses of people nearby. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says it’s possible to catch the disease COVID-19 by touching something that has the virus on it, and then touching your own face, “but this is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads.”
Coronavirus numbers update
Symptoms of COVID-19 include fever, cough and shortness of breath, which may occur two days to two weeks after exposure. The disease is especially dangerous for the elderly and others with weaker immune systems.
More than 113,000 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed worldwide, with more than 3,990 deaths as of Monday afternoon, March 9, according to Johns Hopkins University. The United States has 959 confirmed cases with at least 28 deaths.
“At this point, many businesses are taking the cautious approach with cleaning, with more steps coming if there are (confirmed) cases,” Occhiogrosso said.
The economic impact could be significant for Whatcom County with the arrival of spring and the possible cancellation of popular events, Occhiogrosso said. At this point, it is hard to tell if the economy is being impacted by news of the virus because news is so recent that data isn’t available.
It’s possible that visits to Whatcom County are down as people, in general, begin to travel less, but this is typically a slower time of year for tourism, he said.
Impact on cross-border traffic
The plunging oil prices on Monday, March 9, weakened the Canadian dollar, dropping the loonie to a three-year low compared to the U.S. dollar. As of Tuesday morning, the Canadian dollar was at 73 cents compared to the U.S. dollar. Traditionally Canadian shoppers slow down their shopping trips into Whatcom County when the Canadian dollar falls below 70 cents, Occhiogrosso said.
The weak loonie, along with an increase of visitors denied entry into the U.S. from Canada due to concerns of the spread of the coronavirus, has put a damper on cross-border shopping.
Even if the spread of the virus continues and confirmed cases increase in British Columbia and Whatcom County, Laurie Trautman expects the border between the U.S. and Canada to remain open.
Trautman, director at the Border Policy Research Institute at Western Washington University, noted that the border did not officially close following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorism attacks, but traffic came to a standstill because of the increased inspections. That slowdown could happen again if the inspections increase.
From an economic standpoint, sectors like gas, dairy, retail and package pick-up would be hit the hardest in Whatcom County. Communities including Blaine, Sumas and Lynden would be impacted.
“The impacts would be worse if this were happening in the summer, when travel volumes tend to be much higher and tourism... really picks up,” Trautman said in an email.
Updates from other businesses
Here are some examples of what other Whatcom County businesses are doing:
▪ The BP Cherry Point refinery near Ferndale and its parent company have taken several steps in trying to stop the spread of the virus, said Michael Abendhoff, director of media affairs for the U.S. downstream operations.
That includes suspending all non-essential business travel to hard-hit areas, including China, Japan and Italy. Any workers who have traveled to the hard-hit areas are required to self-quarantine for 14 days.
At Cherry Point, the janitorial service contractor has changed the disinfectant it is using and increased cleanings, particularly in high-traffic areas.
▪ Along with stepped-up cleanings, Kevin Weatherill got started in early January with additional steps to try to stop the spread of the virus at his grocery stores.
Weatherill is CEO of the Markets LLC, which includes grocery stores in Birch Bay, Blaine, Lynden, Everson, Anacortes and Sedro Woolley. Weatherill also operates Davinci’s Market in Bellingham with his wife, Kim.
Those additional steps included meeting with employees, stocking up on sanitizing inventory, developing a deep-cleaning plan, establishing voluntary temperature checks. He’s also had most of his corporate staff work from home the past two weeks and is developing a curbside pickup program by the end of the week.
“This is an issue that a business owner/manager can’t afford to be caught flat-footed on,” Weatherill said in an email.
▪ Zen Sushi & Bar, near the Barkley movie theater, announced last week that it was disinfecting the entire facility every 24 hours. Everything at a table will be sanitized after a customer finishes a meal.
“We don’t want to underestimate this health crisis,” said Ken Tipa, the owner of the sushi bar.
Is your business or employer doing anything different for staff or customers due to the coronavirus outbreak? Please send story tips to newsroom@bellinghamherald.com.
This story was originally published March 10, 2020 at 8:52 AM.
