Whatcom employers worry about health as COVID-19 lockdown eases. Help is on the way
Whatcom County employers worry about how to keep workers and customers safe as well as customers’ confidence levels amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Those were among the top concerns that businesses and organizations that are part of the COVID-19 Employer Task Force said they faced. The task force met in an online webinar for its launch on Thursday and Friday, May 14-15.
Created by the Whatcom County Public Health Advisory Board, its goal is to create guidelines — along the lines of what the county health department did for supermarkets at the start of the pandemic — for businesses to protect employees and customers from COVID-19 as the state’s stay-at-home order eases. The task force will be working within the state’s “Safe Start” guidelines for the phased reopening of Washington.
The task force is expected to last for about two months.
It has 141 members that include a variety of representatives from businesses and industries, tribal members, health care, the faith community, chambers and people from the community at large. Of that total, 101 completed a survey about their operations and the challenges they faced.
Survey results, which included the impact of the new coronavirus and the subsequent state lockdown to slow its spread, were highlighted at the meetings on Thursday and Friday.
They showed that:
▪ 33% of Whatcom businesses or organizations had none or very limited activity.
▪ 28% had somewhat limited activity.
▪ 30% were fully active.
According to the survey, the biggest questions or barriers businesses and organizations said they faced in operating or preparing to reopen were:
▪ 49% expressed confusion about health and safety rules.
▪ 44% wondered how to keep staff safe.
▪ 42% wondered how to keep customers safe.
▪ 40% were concerned about customers’ comfort and confidence, including in returning once doors have reopened.
▪ 31% cited lack of personal protective equipment.
