BusinessLink August 2020

BUSINESS LINK THE HILL COUNTRY’S PREMIER BUSINESS PUBLICATION

Vol. 8, Issue 8 • August 2020

BACK TO SCHOOL THERE ARE MORE QUESTIONS ABOUT HOW THE SCHOOL YEAR WILL GO, BUT STUDENTS ARE HEADING BACK IN THE HILL COUNTRY

Business Link KERRVILLE AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 1700 Sidney Baker St., Suite 100, Kerrville, TX 78028 PHONE: 830-896-1155 | FAX: 830-896-1175 | kerrvilletx.com

CHAMBER LEADERSHIP CHAMBER STAFF Tim Rye | Chair Peterson Medical Associates Lisa Winters | Past Board Chair Peterson Health Allison Bueche | Leadership Kerr County Kerrville Public Utility Board Tricia Byrom | Secretary Guadalupe Bank Mike Wittler | Chair Elect, Policy & Governance Kerrville Public Utility Board Justin Foster | Treasurer Community First National Bank Brian Bowers | 1st Vice Chair Government Affairs Centennial Bank Michael Anglin | Communications ARTIFEX42 Summer West | Events and Fundraising Alegria Barn E Kerry Sutton | Membership HCTC Shawna Fahrenthold | Education Alamo Colleges Sue Tiemann Brinkman Preferred Properties David Reast Schreiner University Rose Bradshaw So Fast Printing Clint Fiore Texas Business Buyers, LLC Colby Johle Brookdale Guadalupe River Plaza

Kristan Weaver|Interim-President and CEO president@kerrvilletx.com Angela North | Director of Membership angela@kerrvilletx.com Jennifer Lord | Receptionist info@kerrvilletx.com

BUSINESS LINK STAFF Carlina Villalpando, Publisher Louis Amestoy, Managing Editor Jeanette Nash, Asst. Managing Editor Tom Holden, Photographer John Doran, Advertising Director Advertising: Brandon Baldwin, Valerie Tucker and Luly Bliss Composing: Manager Dean Heep and Johanna Rangel

A PUBLICATION IN PARTNERSHIP WITH

Even with the coronavirus pandemic raging across the country, Margaret Raymond believes that she can make a go of it with a new business, and her confidence in a mix of products and services may pay off for her at Boutique M. READ MORE ON PAGE 13

2 BusinessLink • June 2020

Schools are heading back, but COVID-19 is still a menace

W

hile this month’s edition of Business Link magazine is dedicated to the return to the school, the underlying issue remains: There is still much we don’t know about the coronavirus, including its impact on children.

However, there does seem to be a consensus among many that keeping children out of school could lead to some longer term problems when it comes to learning. What are those risks? Those are just some of the questions that education leaders here in Kerrville and Kerr County are wrestling with as students prepare to return to school in the coming days and weeks.

The biggest obstacle facing educators is how to protect staff and students from the spread of the virus. In our story about education, Louis Amestoy you will discover some of the remarkable steps taken to confront that issue. However, you will also discover some of the immense challenges facing educators when it comes to having to pivot if there are outbreaks.

Another story concerns how the disease impacts those who are between 20 and 39 years old — a key demographic of our workforce.

They’re about 35% of our total infections, and this is a topic we will continue to explore in upcoming editions of Business Link.

This month’s magazine is tinged with how coronavirus has so deeply impacted every aspect of our lives — with positives and negatives.

Consider the story on Hill Country Bicycle Works about how the virus has led to a resurgence in bicycle demand. The owners of the Kerrville bike shop say they’ve never been busier — a consequence of coronavirusrelated closures of gyms. The trend of those wanting to get out and ride bikes is something that Kerrville is well positioned to satisfy with the Guadalupe River Trail.

While one business is seeing a surge, another entrepreneur has decided to move forward with her dreams of owning a luxurious boutique that combines her love of fashion with options for self care that so many desire during the pandemic-related shutdowns. Margaret Raymond might be one of the bravest people in Kerrville by opening her Boutique M on Sidney Baker South.

Although not directly related to coronavirus, the imminent closure of Wolfmueller’s Books in downtown Kerrville marks a sad ending to a business that has carved a marvelous niche for itself. When we say sad, we mean it for all of the book lovers, especially those of Texas history, who have enjoyed wandering through the stacks of this landmark shop for nearly 20 years. Jon and Sandy Wolfmueller are no strangers to downtown Kerrville and the closure of the business means the end of a nearly a century of the family’s businesses on Earl Garrett or Water streets.

So, we bring this magazine to you this month with a sense of uncertainty, optimism and can-do spirit that we think defines the time of doing business during the coronavirus pandemic. We hope that you enjoy it.

Louis Amestoy is the managing editor of Business Link magazine and The Kerrville Daily Times. Watch him at 10 a.m. Monday-Friday on KDT Live — The Kerrville Daily Times’ webcast on Facebook Live.

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CHAMBER NEWS

Business Expo is now set for October Staff report

news@dailytimes.com The Kerrville Area Chamber of Commerce 2020 Business Expo is slated to run Oct. 2-3 at the Hill Country Youth Event Center.

After being delayed by the coronavirus pandemic, the annual event will kick off at 5:15 p.m. on Oct. 2 with a wine share and mixer.

On Oct. 3, doors will open for the expo at 10 a.m., and the event will run until 3 p.m.

In years past, the expo has highlighted some of the extraordinary work being done by the business community in Kerr County. The expo has also served as a way for businesses to connect with new customer and clients.

Utilizing the size of the Hill Country Youth Event Center, the expo has been able to attract some unique businesses, including tiny home builders who were able to showcase their work to potential clients.

Those interested in participating should contact Kristan Weaver at president@kerrvilletx.com.

One of the big attractions from the 2019 Kerrville Area Chamber of Commerce Business Expo was a showcase of tiny homes.

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COVER STORY

BACK TO

Schreiner University’s graduation marked the first event back on campus in months, but things will look a lot different when students return for fall classes in the coming days.

SCHOOL? In a return to school, local leaders have a plan, but there are still plenty of unknowns about how to proceed Staff and news service reports

F

news@dailytimes.com

or weeks, education officials across the country — if not the world — have struggled to determine the best course of action when it comes to reopening schools, colleges and universities during the pandemic.

On Aug. 1, Schreiner University made its biggest attempt yet to return to some sort of normal by hosting on-campus graduation, but it also served as an example of how education will proceed in an uncertain time.

6 BusinessLink • August 2020

See SCHOOL, page 10

COVER STORY COVID-19 IN TEXAS

➤ The graphic shows how the infection has spread in key age demographics, especially those active in the workforce. In recent weeks, those in the 20-29 age group have been sickened in large numbers.

However, teenagers are also shown to contract the virus.

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(830) 896-5445 • www.ugra.org Located Just off Sidney Baker South, at 125 Lehmann Drive, Suite 100, Kerrville, TX 78028 7

BUSINESS IN THE TIME OF CORONAVIRUS

FIT TO BE

CORONAVIRUS HAS POWERED A RESURGENCE IN BICYCLE RIDING, INCLUDING HERE IN KERRVILLE

ESSENTIAL Story by Jeremy Walther | Photos by Max Walther

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Special to Business Link

dam Salladin and Lisa Nye-Salladin have never been busier.

Bicycle shop owners, along with retailers, have seen a coronavirus pandemic-related surge in new business as people scramble to find new workout regimens. And with the Guadalupe River Trail right here in Kerrville, the demand is acute.

8 BusinessLink • August 2020

For the Salladins, who own Hill Country Bicycle Works, they’ve witnessed two stories with the coronavirus pandemic and its impact on their business and others.

“I know a lot of businesses and people are struggling,” Adam Salladin said. “But maybe there’s a silver lining to this. People are rethinking their lifestyles, getting outside more, connecting with their families more. Maybe this increased awareness of personal and family health will stick.”

If you need to escape quarantine, especially in Kerrville, there’s something easy to do — go ride a bike. The only problem is there

BUSINESS IN THE TIME OF CORONAVIRUS QUOTABLE ➤ “I know a lot of businesses and people are struggling. But maybe there’s a silver lining to this. People are rethinking their lifestyles, getting outside more, connecting with their families more.

Maybe this increased awareness of personal and family health will stick.”

— Adam Salladin

has been a shortage. Just last month, Walmart was cleaned out of bicycles.

As the pandemic took hold across the country, gyms were forced close, and that led people to rethink their workout regimens, bringing old bicycles out of storage if they couldn’t find a new one. In April, bicycle sales jumped nationwide 75%.

“We’ve been slammed the last three or four months with repairs,” Nye-Salladin said. “People are bringing in barn bikes, things that haven’t been used in years. We had to close an extra day each week just to make time to keep up with repair demand.”

If you read trade publications focused on the bicycle industry, the Salladins’ experience is not unusual — it’s nationwide. Bike sellers saw triple-digit increase in sales and a renewed interest in BBB KERRVILLE AD 2020 INDEED.pdf

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COVER STORY: BACK TO SCHOOL

School Continued from Page 6 Just entering Schreiner’s campus requires health screenings and temperature checks, but when students return in the coming days for a shortened fall semester, here is what they’re facing: Students are encouraged to self-isolate for 14 days prior to their scheduled arrival to campus.

Upon arrival to campus, baseline testing for COVID-19 will be conducted as part of the move-in procedure for most Schreiner University students. Test results will be available by move-in time, and a negative test result is a necessary prerequisite to moving into one’s student residence.

Schreiner has sent out a huge book of guidelines for its incoming students. Other universities are taking similar actions, but Trinity University in San Antonio makes it clear that it will cancel in-person classes if more than 2% of its students test positive for the virus.

For local school districts, it’s going to be even more challenging with a mix of virtual and in-class instruction, and there will be wellness checks every step of the way.

During a recent board of trustees meeting, Kerrville Independent School District Superintendent Mark Foust described the upcoming school year as “tumultuous.” Students will return to in-class instruction on Aug. 24 in Kerrville, Center Point and Comfort.

Ingram will start on Aug. 17, while Harper starts on Aug. 19.

KISD’s ability to pivot to meet the threat of COVID-19 will remain constantly under pressure.

The challenge that has consumed the district administration’s focus for weeks will be how to change schedules for students and staff as often as every six weeks if the virus intensifies, leading to possible school shutdowns.

Under KISD’s plan, parents can toggle between virtual and in-class learning every six weeks — the end of each grading period.

The district’s plan also requires considerable change to the daily routine for children from first grade through 12th grade.

Mask wearing is mandatory. Teachers will be equipped with personal protective equipment. Health checks will be performed before students arrive on campus. The campuses will also be less accessible to parents and visitors.

And if there’s an outbreak? Schools will probably shut down for at least five days.

10 BusinessLink • August 2020

Across Texas, school districts are pushing the start of in-class instruction until after Labor Day weekend. The Texas Education Agency has also loosened some of the restrictions it imposed on school districts when it came to virtual learning. However, Foust noted during a school board meeting that the state still expects the districts to meet 70,000 minutes of student instruction in 2020-21.

How many disruptions there will be to the school year remains the big unknown for every educator across the state.

Some of the district’s thinking was shaped by a survey that went out to parents in early June, and 66% said they wanted to see their children back in class, but that was before Kerr County’s case count surged in late June and July. More than 60% of the county’s positive cases have come since June 24 and the county’s positivity rate has been above 10% during much of that time.

An informal survey of readers of The Kerrville Daily Times found that more than half of all participants had serious reservations about sending their children back to campus.

What makes it even more challenging are the unknowns of how schools opening may impact respective communities, because no one is certain how children could spread the virus or whether they will contract it in large numbers.

In Texas, those who make up the college-aged population, 20-29 years of age, account for 18.7% of total infections, while those 10-19 years old accounted for 4.3% of the 430,000 infections across the state. In Kerr County, where the infection rate of the total population is less than 1%, children have increasingly shown they can be infected, and those in the school-age group account for 6.3% of the infections.

“Given the fact that we’ve seen a spike in infections among kids, we would expect in about two or three weeks we might see a surge in these kinds of cases getting reported,” former Federal Drug Administration head Dr. Scott Gottlieb told CBS News last month.

“That will be right about the time that we’re looking at sending kids back to school. So that could cause a lot of districts to become wary.”

Gottlieb, who headed the FDA under President Donald Trump, has been one of the more cautious voices about the pandemic — even as he writes for the conservative-leaning American Enterprise Institute.

He’s also expressed concerns about the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s guidelines for reopening, arguing that we just don’t know enough because children have been sequestered or quarantined from large gatherings since March.

However, when they have been exposed to large groups — as has been the case in Georgia — the results have raised plenty of eyebrows.

COVER STORY: BACK TO SCHOOL In June, 260 cases of the coronavirus were tied to attendees and staff at a North Georgia YMCA children’s camp, according to a CDC report. It was one of that state’s largest known superspreading events.

It’s not just children that school administrators are concerned about, but the staff as well. A Georgia school district reported 260 employees had tested positive or had been exposed to coronavirus.

During a KISD meeting, two teachers spoke out against a return to class.

“I appreciate the mitigation factors that KISD has taken,” teacher Travis Butler said “I don’t feel like we should be frontline workers. I love my students and miss them terribly. TEA has provided us a window to pause and open. I’m asking the board to delay until after Labor Day.” At the same time, a report by the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine argues that it’s impossible for schools to entirely eliminate the risk of COVID-19, and young children in particular will be impacted by not having in-person learning, suffering long-term academic consequences if they fall behind as a result. In kindergarten through third grade, children are still developing the skills to regulate their own behavior, emotions and attention, and therefore struggle with distance learning. So, the report claims, schools should prioritize reopening for grades K-5 and for students with special needs who would be best served by in-person instruction.

There are also deep concerns about the quality of virtual instruction. The New York Times reported in June on new

research that shed light on the shortcomings of online instruction.

The research suggests that by September, most students will have fallen behind where they would have been if they had gone to class, with some losing the equivalent of a full school year’s worth of academic gains, the newspaper reported.

Even the report authored by the National Academies points out the need for more studies of the pandemic’s impact on children, but one doctor puts it this way: “Schools will now be the experiment,” Dr. Aaron Carroll, a pediatrician at Indiana University School of Medicine, told NPR. “We’re going to see a bunch of schools open with varying levels of control, and then we will see what happens.”

In Florida, more than 38,000 minors — 18 and younger — have contracted the virus.

In the case of the Georgia summer camp, a CDC report details how COVID-19 spread rapidly among children and teens within the camp and raises questions about the effectiveness of safety protocols as school districts and colleges contemplate reopening for in-person instruction this fall.

The CDC study of 597 campers and staff from Georgia found the camp did not follow its guidance to require campers to wear masks, though staff did.

Three-quarters of the 344 attendees and staff for whom the CDC was able to obtain test results tested positive for the virus.

The CDC said the overall infection rate of the virus was 44%, though the agency acknowledged that’s an undercount because it includes more than 250 for whom they had no results.

11

Bicycle Continued from Page 9 being outside and enjoying fresh air. That’s something the Salladins are seeing firsthand.

“It’s been pretty great to see a surge of interest in outdoor sports,” Salladin-Nye said. “At the same time, it’s difficult to know how to safely put on races and other events that bring people together in groups. We want to promote and celebrate the culture of cycling and healthy competition. But how do you do it safely? Maybe the answer is to focus on hyperlocal events. Keep them small and for locals only.”

The couple owns two shops: one on Water Street in Kerrville and another in Fredericksburg. They started their business here in 1995 after spending three years bicycling around the world.

During their 25 years in Kerrville, they’ve advocated for outdoor recreation, and their business aims to connect people through rides and races. Due to coronavirus, those races have been postponed or canceled, but that doesn’t mean people aren’t interested in getting out and riding.

“We’re not the only business who feels the effects of reduced travel, event cancellations, a decrease or disappearance of out-oftown traffic,” Salladin said. “But we’re busy. And without races and big events the last several months, it’s been all local customers.

Many of them are new customers to us. It’s really the local economy that’s keeping us going right now.”

Adam Salladin works on a tightening the handlebars on a bicycle in his Kerrville-based bicycle shop.

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M

is for mettle

MARGARET RAYMOND ISN’T BACKING DOWN FROM THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC. INSTEAD SHE’S DIGGING IN AND STARTING A BUSINESS FOCUSED ON COMFORT AND BEAUTY — SOMETHING THE WHOLE COMMUNITY COULD USE Louis Amestoy

louis.amestoy@dailytimes.com

M

argaret Raymond may be the bravest entrepreneur in Kerrville right now.

She had a dream to open a boutique that combined her love of the finer things, with some community components, a place where you could enjoy conversation while getting made up for a night out or savor a massage after a weary day. All of this was the dream behind Boutique M. “When you come up with your business plan, you do not put on your list world pandemic,” Raymond said.

Raymond began her journey to start her boutique in January when she purchased a building on Sidney Baker South that was once an architect’s office and then a longstanding medical laboratory.

“We still have people showing up with their lab paperwork,” Raymond said with a smile.

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BUSINESS IN THE TIME OF CORONAVIRUS

Gone, however, is any semblance to the medical lab that was once housed in the building. Luxury, delights and comfort are now the order of the day — exactly what Raymond was looking to accomplish.

For those close to Raymond, the direction was to start a new day spa, but she saw it as a combination of many things.

“I love clothes,” she said. “So, I’m doing spa and clothing.”

When someone walks into the boutique, they’re greeted with an open and airy floor plan that moves customers to displays for jewelry, shoes and clothes. One of the boutique’s assistants is there to help and to make a latte if the customer is interested.

Eventually, Raymond plans to add an esthetician to the boutique for more advanced skin treatments. Meanwhile, she’s offering what she describes as a blowout bar — a place for women to get their hair cut and makeup done before an event.

The main goal is comfort. In fact, you can enjoy a coffee and play a game of mahjong in one of the boutique’s rooms. That’s the community part that Raymond wants to engender — just letting people stay connected.

Even with the onset of the coronavirus and the mayhem it’s caused, Raymond said she feels the boutique will be a success.

“If nobody showed up, I’d be worried,” she said. “But they’re already showing up. I have people stopping by all the time.”

In the end, confidence may just be the ticket when it comes to navigating the economy in the time of coronavirus.

14 BusinessLink • August 2020

BUSINESS IN THE TIME OF CORONAVIRUS

Not only can you enjoy an espresso while you shop, you can also play mahjong in the Kerrville boutique.

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BUSINESS IN THE TIME OF CORONAVIRUS

CHAPTER CLOSED

For years, Jon and Sandy Wolfmueller have provided a destination for book lovers, especially fans of Texas history. But in the coming months, they will close their downtown Kerrville store and retire.

Louis Amestoy louis.amestoy@dailytimes.com

A

fter spending most of their adult lives in downtown Kerrville, Jon and Sandy Wolfmueller are finally ready to call it quits — sort of.

The owners of Wolfmueller’s Books are retiring.

Their iconic Earl Garrett Store, known for its deep trove of Texas history books, will be closing in the coming months, and they are slowly but surely selling off some of their premium inventory to collectors and bookstores around the country.

Their Kinky Friedman collection — sold out.

A hefty collection of Cormac McCarthy, much of it signed — sold.

16 BusinessLink • August 2020

Larry McMurtry — going fast.

“We’ve been thinking about it for awhile,” Jon admits. “We were trying to decide when the best time would be.”

They’re also going out during a time when their business has been booming. The Wolfmuellers speculate that coronavirus pandemic lockdowns have helped people renew their love of reading, because business has never been better.

“It’s hard,” Sandy said. “We knew the third quarter, going into the fourth quarter, was the best time.”

Starting Aug. 3, the couple will begin letting people back into their store on an appointment-only basis to sort through more than 30,000 books in the inventory. They’re conceding this is going to take months to liquidate, but they’re in no hurry.

For the Wolfmuellers, one of the things they will miss most is their interaction with customers, because they’ve focused their business on an individual experience.

It’s not uncommon to be greeted by Sandy or Jon’s sister, Jean Weber, who has worked part time for them for years. Sandy has a pretty good idea of where to find everything in the store in a matter of seconds.

They appreciated customers who loved books the most during their years in business, and catering to that customer came into focus.

“People felt comfortable in here,” Sandy said. “A lot of the local people, you know, we’d find books for them, and that’s what we’re most proud of.”

In an age where Amazon dominates the book space, and online pressure has forced many bookstores to close, the Wolfmuellers carved out a unique niche with personal service, which also featured a robust online store.

The gradual closing is a bittersweet moment for the Wolfmuellers and readers alike.

“I will miss Sandy and Jon Wolfmueller’s store for many reasons,” said Joe Herring Jr. “First, they’re friends, and I enjoy visiting with them. Second, it was a meeting place — almost every time I stopped by, there was someone there visiting with them, talking about books, or Kerrville or memories of our community. Third, they ran a great store: They know their customers and their market, and their inventory of books reflects that knowledge. Fourth, it was a great place to meet authors during the many book-signing events the Wolfmuellers hosted over the years. My work on local history often means I need to find a particular and often rare book; almost every time, a copy of that book would be on the shelves of Wolfmueller’s Books.”

This isn’t the first time the couple has walked away from a successful business. They re-launched Pampell’s as a destination location for those savoring the sentimentality of an old soda fountain, but closed it in 1999 to focus on books.

While they loved Pampells, they wanted more time with their twin sons, fewer employees and a bit of a slower pace. Books offered that to them and, of course, both are avid readers.

“We’ve made it a destination with collectors and book readers” Jon said.

At that point Sandy jumps in: “Not just collectors. We have books for collectors but we have books for the reader.”

If you wanted to know something about Texas, especially the Hill Country, this was the place to find it — tucked along Earl Garrett Street. They rent their current space, but it’s a part of town Jon has known well in his 75 years of life.

His grandparents moved to Kerrville from Germany at the turn of the 20th century, and the family operated two bakeries along Water Street. Jon’s grandparents lived in a house along Main Street — the site is now a parking lot. However, Jon’s father started a men’s clothing store on Earl Garrett Street in 1945.

But before he succeeded his father’s work, Jon spent many summers at Camp Mystic and was working at the camp in the 1960s during his breaks from Schreiner Institute and Texas Tech.

The camp is where he met Sandy, who is five years younger and who attended the camp every summer. After she graduated from the University of Oklahoma and he had served in the U.S. Air Force, the two married and settled in Kerrville.

Jon eventually bought his dad out of business and continued it until 1995, when he decided to join Sandy over at Pampell’s full time. As Pampell’s thrived, Sandy started building a small but impressive inventory of Texas history books, literature and other books that were housed inside of the store. They eventually opened a small book store next to Pampell’s.

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Platinum Investors • 72 Degrees Air Conditioning & Heating • Airtech A/C & Heating • All-Plastics • Broadway Bank • Douville, Goldman & Associates, PLLC • Guadalupe Bank • Hill Country Memorial • Hill Country Youth Event Center • Home Simple Goods • Kerrville Hills Winery • Kerrville Plumbing Plus • Laity Lodge Youth Camp H E Butt Family Foundation • LeMeilleur’s RV, Truck & Equipment Repair Co. • Precision Dermatology, PA Kerrville Dermatologist

• Prime Capital Investment Advisors • Safeguard Business Systems • San Carlos Ranch • State Farm Insurance Justin Hamilton • Superior Services Tree Care • Talarico and Associates, A Wealth Management Firm • Texas Hill Country Bank - Kerrville • Turtle Creek Olive & Vines • Volunteer Services Council for Kerrville State Hospital • Windstream Communications • Y.O. Ranch Resort Hotel and Conference Center • Y.O. Ranch Headquarters

Your Membership Is An Investment In Your Business The Kerrville Area Chamber of Commerce 1700 Sidney Baker St., Suite 100 • Kerrville, TX 78028 Phone 830-896-1155 / Fax 830-896-1175

www.kerrvilletx.com 18 BusinessLink • August 2020

CDC GUIDELINES ON COVID-19 FOR THE WORKPLACE Monitor federal, state, and local public health communications about COVID-19 regulations, guidance, and recommendations and ensure that workers have access to that information. Frequently check the CDC COVID-19 website.

Actively encourage sick employees to stay home: • • • •

Employees who have symptoms should notify their supervisor and stay home.

Sick employees should follow CDC-recommended steps. Employees should not return to work until the criteria to discontinue home isolation are met, in consultation with healthcare providers.

Employees who are well but who have a sick family member at home with COVID-19 should notify their supervisor and follow CDC recommended precautions.

Consider conducting daily in-person or virtual health checks (e.g., symptom and/or temperature screening) of employees before they enter the facility, in accordance with state and local public health authorities and, if available, your occupational health services:

If implementing in-person health checks, conduct them safely and respectfully. Employers may use social distancing, barrier or partition controls, or personal protective equipment (PPE) to protect the screener. However, reliance on PPE alone is a less effective control and is more difficult to implement, given PPE shortages and training requirements.

See the “Should we be screening employees for COVID-19 symptoms?” section of General Business Frequently Asked Questions as a guide.

Complete the health checks in a way that helps maintain social distancing guidelines, such as providing multiple screening entries into the building.

Follow guidance from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission external icon regarding confidentiality of medical records from health checks.

To prevent stigma and discrimination in the workplace, make employee health screenings as private as possible. Do not make determinations of risk based on race or country of origin and be sure to maintain confidentiality of each individual’s medical status and history.

Identify where and how workers might be exposed to COVID-19 at work.

Employers are responsible for providing a safe and healthy workplace external icon. Conduct a thorough hazard assessment external icon of the workplace to identify potential workplace hazards related to COVID-19. Use appropriate combinations of controls from the hierarchy of controls to limit the spread of COVID-19, including engineering controls, workplace administrative policies, and personal protective equipment (PPE) to protect workers from the identified hazards (see table below): • Conduct a thorough hazard assessment to determine if workplace hazards are present, or are likely to be present, and determine what type of controls or PPE are needed for specific job duties.

• When engineering and administrative controls cannot be implemented or are not fully protective, employers are required by OSHA standards to: • Determine what PPE is needed for their workers’ specific job duties, • Select and provide appropriate PPE to the workers at no cost, and • Train their workers on its correct use.

• Encourage workers to wear a cloth face covering at work if the hazard assessment has determined that they do not require PPE, such as a respirator or medical facemask for protection.

CDC recommends wearing a cloth face covering as a measure to contain the wearer’s respiratory droplets and help protect their co-workers and members of the general public.

Cloth face coverings are not considered PPE. They may prevent workers, including those who don’t know they have the virus, from spreading it to others but may not protect the wearers from exposure to the virus that causes COVID-19.

Remind employees and customers that CDC recommends wearing cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain, especially in areas of significant community-based transmission.

Wearing a cloth face covering, however, does not replace the need to practice social distancing.

See the OSHA COVID-19 external icon webpage for more information on how to protect workers from potential COVID-19 exposures and guidance for employers, including steps to take for jobs according to exposure risk.

Separate sick employees: • Employees who appear to have symptoms upon arrival at work or who become sick during the day should immediately be separated from other employees, customers, and visitors, and sent home.

•

Have a procedure in place for the safe transport of an employee who becomes sick while at work. The employee may need to be transported home or to a healthcare provider.

Take action if an employee is suspected or confirmed to have COVID-19 infection: • In most cases, you do not need to shut down your facility. If it has been less than 7 days since the sick employee has been in the facility, close off any areas used for prolonged periods of time by the sick person: • Wait 24 hours before cleaning and disinfecting to minimize potential for other employees being exposed to respiratory droplets. If waiting 24 hours is not feasible, wait as long as possible.

• During this waiting period, open outside doors and windows to increase air circulation in these areas.

• If it has been 7 days or more since the sick employee used the facility, additional cleaning and disinfection is not necessary. Continue routinely cleaning and disinfecting all high-touch surfaces in the facility.

Follow the CDC cleaning and disinfection recommendations: • Clean dirty surfaces with soap and water before disinfecting them.

• To disinfect surfaces, use products that meet EPA criteria for use against SARS-Cov-2external icon, the virus that causes COVID-19, and are appropriate for the surface.

• Always wear gloves and gowns appropriate for the chemicals being used when you are cleaning and disinfecting.

• You may need to wear additional PPE depending on the setting and disinfectant product you are using. For each product you use, consult and follow the manufacturer’s instructions for use.

Determine which employees may have been exposed to the virus and may need to take additional precautions: • Inform employees of their possible exposure to COVID-19 in the workplace but maintain confidentiality as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)external icon.

• Most workplaces should follow the Public Health Recommendations for Community-Related Exposure and instruct potentially exposed employees to stay home for 14 days, telework if possible, and self-monitor for symptoms.

Critical infrastructure workplaces should follow the guidance on Implementing Safety Practices for Critical Infrastructure Workers Who May Have Had Exposure to a Person with Suspected or Confirmed COVID-19. Employers in critical infrastructure also have an obligation to manage potentially exposed workers’ return to work in ways that best protect the health of those workers, their coworkers, and the general public.

Educate employees about steps they can take to protect themselves at work and at home: • Encourage employees to follow any new policies or procedures related to illness, cleaning and disinfecting, and work meetings and travel.

• Advise employees to: • Stay home if they are sick, except to get medical care, and to learn what to do if they are sick.

• Inform their supervisor if they have a sick family member at home with COVID-19 and to learn what to do if someone in their home is sick.

• Wash their hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or to use hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol if soap and water are not available. Inform employees that if their hands are visibly dirty, they should use soap and water over hand sanitizer. Key times for employees to clean their hands include: Before and after work shifts Before and after work breaks After blowing their nose, coughing, or sneezing After using the restroom Before eating or preparing food After putting on, touching, or removing cloth face coverings Avoid touching their eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.

Cover their mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze, or use the inside of their elbow. Throw used tissues into no-touch trash cans and immediately wash hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use hand sanitizer containing at least 60% alcohol. Learn more about coughing and sneezing etiquette on the CDC website.

Practice routine cleaning and disinfection of frequently touched objects and surfaces such as workstations, keyboards, telephones, handrails, and doorknobs.

Dirty surfaces can be cleaned with soap and water prior to disinfection. To disinfect, use products that meet EPA’s criteria for use against SARS-CoV2external icon, the cause of COVID-19, and are appropriate for the surface.

Avoid using other employees’ phones, desks, offices, or other work tools and equipment, when possible. Clean and disinfect them before and after use.

Practice social distancing by avoiding large gatherings and maintaining distance (at least 6 feet) from others when possible.

Please join us in extending a word of “Thanks!” to these businesses for sponsoring the major events being held in 2020 by the Kerrville Area Chamber of Commerce.

Because of their generosity and support, we will be able to continue to educate and serve our membership and community about shared opportunities, issues and challenges.

BUSINESS EXPO WITH FRIDAY NIGHT WINE SHARE October 2-3, 2020

HILL COUNTRY YOUTH EVENT CENTER

98TH ANNUAL CHAMBER CHOICE AWARDS BANQUET

Thursday, October 22, 2020 • Inn of the Hills

4TH ANNUAL HILL COUNTRY ECONOMIC SUMMIT February 2020

HILL COUNTRY YOUTH EVENT CENTER

25TH ANNUAL CHAMBER GOLF CLASSIC June 2020

ROBERT GLOSSOP JR. - INDIVIDUAL SPONSOR SCOTT SCHREINER MUNICIPAL GOLF COURSE

1700 Sidney Baker St.,Suite 100 • Kerrville (830) 896-1155 • www.kerrvilletx.com

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As businesses reopen, we’ll be here for you to ensure you’re always connected.

SM

• Voice Solutions • High-Speed Internet

Your world, connected.

• Networking Solutions & Support • Secure Data Storage • Business Systems Solutions • Business & Home Security Solutions • Comprehensive Wireless Solutions

20 BusinessLink • August 2020

Call us today to connect.

800.292.5457 | hctc.net Visit our retail locations: Ingram | Kerrville | Mason | Junction | Comfort | Sonora

Hill Country Telecommunications, LLC, 220 Carolyn Street, Ingram, TX 78025 Security Lic.# B15426 • Fire Lic.# TX ACR-3212 This institution is an equal opportunity provider and employer.