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Together WE EMERGE Stronger Bob Duffy President & CEO, Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce
G
reater Rochester Chamber of Commerce is honored to serve as your resource for the advocacy, information, and services your organization needs to make informed decisions and undertake responsible, factbased planning for continuity during the Coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic. We are here for you through the crisis and beyond. Together, we will do the work necessary to come out stronger on the other side. I had the honor of accepting Governor Cuomo’s invitation to serve as his special advisor for the phased reopening the Rochester and Finger Lakes region in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. Governor Cuomo has emerged as a national leader through this crisis and I am proud of how he has led New York. Through my work as Governor Cuomo’s advisor, I gathered information from stakeholders on the things they are doing, the support they need, and their view on how to reopen safely with a plan driven by data. That is a key part of what Governor Cuomo is looking for to get businesses going again. Meetings with federal, state, and local elected officials, industrial development agencies, chambers of commerce and business associations, business owners, executives, employees, and leaders from all nine of the Finger Lakes region counties helped gather the data and input that drives decisions in Albany. The governor does not want to reopen too quickly and spike illnesses, hospitalizations, and deaths. Regardless of when any industry gets the go-ahead from New York State, I recommend preparing now for reopening. Every business or organization should first work on basic components: Face masks and appropriate personal protective equipment, hand sanitizing availability for employees and
customers, social distancing plans, and facility disinfecting protocols. Governor Cuomo and I know that many people are upset and frustrated. Everyone is losing something during this process. We get that. However, the governor is not going to be pushed into a rapid reopening by criticism or protests. Anyone who chooses to violate the state’s executive orders may be putting their business at risk of enforcement action. As much frustration as we are seeing now, I urge businesses to not compound their troubles by adding more problems down the road. We do not want any business owner to feel more pain than they are feeling right now. We understand the financial pressures people are under. It is horrible on many fronts. Again, public health data will drive Governor Cuomo’s decisions. This is a killer virus and the decisions being made are to protect life. We cannot be hasty and return to square one. The phased approach to reopening the state focuses on the compilation of infection rate and hospitalization data as well as a rolling evaluation of the capacity for testing and results of contact tracing. Based on an assessment of the data gleaned from these areas, the governor will either continue easing restrictions or implement another pause. We can expect the slow and steady pace to inform Albany on making the proper decisions. Moving forward to post-pandemic planning, businesses should explore how they can reinvent themselves for the future. One of my biggest fears is that when our economy reopens more, people will justifiably hesitate to flock back immediately. I expect a great deal of fear on the part of consumers going forward until there is a reliable vaccine available.
