Omaha Chamber Announces Guidebook for Reopening

Barbers and clients wear face masks at the Elite Barbershop in Omaha on the first day that restrictions put into place to combat the coronavirus pandemic were loosened, Monday, May 4, 2020. Restrictions have been reduced since then, and Nebraska will allow bars to reopen Monday, June, 1, when gatherings will be allowed of up to 25 people. (AP)
Businesses faced with the difficult decisions of when and how to reopen to the public can now refer to a new framework from the Greater Omaha Chamber to guide them.
The Thrive 2020 initiative is a phased plan for economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic that relies on a model from the University of Nebraska Medical Center to determine when to return to a new normal.
The plan also outlines best practices – such as face coverings, employee screening and staggering on-site work hours – for businesses to consider as they have employees return.
“There are literally thousands of small- and medium-sized businesses out there attempting to navigate this situation on their own,” said Tim Burke, chair of the Greater Omaha Chamber board and CEO of the Omaha Public Power District.
The chamber’s recovery efforts will be led by a regional task force comprised of CEOs, founders, executive directors and other leaders. Their efforts will be focused on economic growth, small business, diversity and equity, talent, entrepreneurship and public policy.
The first component of the chamber’s plan, outlined in a guidebook titled “We Rise,” gives a medically informed approach to recovery, Burke said.
It outlines three stages to reopening, and it describes the current environment as “caution,” with businesses closed or operating at reduced capacity, closed to the public and utilizing remote work where possible.
The next phases are:
• Stage 1: “Businesses reopen when able to follow safety and social distancing guidelines. Non-essential travel restricted.”
• Stage 2: “Further easing of restrictions. Businesses continue to monitor the health data to stay below crisis levels.”
• Stage 3: “A treatment or vaccine is widely available, and businesses can now operate without restrictions.”
The final stage represents the “new normal” where businesses that survive the pandemic will remain indefinitely.
Movement between stages is driven by science, based on COVID-19 cases in the community and following a UNMC model. It’s informed by the Global Center for Health Security at UNMC, the Business Roundtable as well as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
Implementing Stage 1 requires positive, long-term trends in primary health indicators or sustained achievement of primary health benchmarks, according to the chamber.
Task force members hope that this foundation of knowledge can assist business owners in making conscious decisions for the health and safety of their employees and customers while also supporting economic growth and recovery.
“By undertaking careful planning now, we can continue to manage the COVID-19 health crisis while preparing our regional businesses to emerge from this crisis,” said James Blackledge, chair of the Thrive economic growth committee.
The task force plans to start focusing efforts elsewhere once most restrictions are lifted and things begin to come back to a sense of normalcy. Goals include assisting unemployed persons in getting back to work, securing funds to assist struggling businesses and attracting new businesses to the region.
“The goal is not unlike what we had before the pandemic, but the timeline and environment in which we accomplish those goals changed,” Blackledge said. “The pace of this recovery is paramount, but it needs to be done safe and responsibly.”
Find a copy of the chamber’s plan at omahachamber.org/we-rise-economic-recovery-plan.
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