OPENING YOUR BUSINESS
TO REOPEN OR
NOT TO REOPEN:
THAT IS THE QUESTION
While not as dire as
Hamlet’s soliloquy about
life and death, it is very
close.
Should we live in the pain
of an economic recession or throw off the
restrictions and face the uncertainty. To put
it a bit more mildly – out of the frying pan
and into the fire.
At the end of May, many States have
initiated reopening on a limited basis.
Questions will remain over when and
under what circumstances the public can
re-emerge from their homes. But even if
deciding when to reopen, the next question
is — how? How can one factory reopen
when its suppliers remain shuttered? How
can parents return to work when schools
are still closed? How can older people return
when there is still no effective treatment or
vaccine? What is the government’s role in
helping private businesses that initially need
to operate at less than normal capacity?
MUCH OF THE DEBATE HAS FOCUSED ON
THE GOVERNMENT MANDATES, BUT IF
SHUTDOWN ORDERS ARE LIFTED, WILL
CUSTOMERS ACTUALLY RETURN?
Data from OpenTable, the restaurant
reservation service, indicates that people
largely stopped eating out well before
official shutdown orders took effect. In
Sweden and other countries without formal
lockdowns, likewise showed that people
sharply reduced their activities even without
government mandates. That everyday drum
beat of more COVID-19 positive tests and a
rising death count has dampened people’s
desire to resume activity.
Basically, the economy’s not going to be
reopened until people want it to reopen.
Currently, there is little evidence that the
public is ready. Contrary to what you see in
the news, surveys show widespread support
for shutdown orders and little appetite for
a rapid return. Businesses are concerned
that rushing back to daily life too quickly
will result in another flare-up and another
lockdown which would leave customers
more wary and the scary possibility of a
second wave.
The same holds true especially for
employees. Will they show up if they feel the
workplace is unsafe? For the employer – how
long will they remain open if workers and
customers become ill and what liabilities
would they be faced with. To alleviate the
public, employee and employer fears, the
controls and enforcement of those controls
need to improve to the point where people
feel it is safe.
This can be accomplished by increased
testing and contact tracing to identify
people for quarantine. Along with (the
never said often enough) hand washing,
physical distancing and wearing an effective
face covering to mitigate the virus spread.
Hospitals and healthcare providers will
need a steady and reliable supply of PPE,
beds and ventilators. This will allow people
with COVID-19 to get treatment at a
hospital rather than having to stay home,
further reducing the rate of spread and
improve recovery rates.
For employers, especially those that
have difficulty maintaining physical
distancing, they must identify high-risk
employees then implement and enforce
their exposure control plans. This includes
but not limited to; temperature tracking
of workers, physical barriers, increased
facility sanitation and an ample supply of
(preferably) surgical grade or better face
masks.
Right after Memorial Day, the number
of known COVID-19 cases in NJ is about
156,000, with over 11,000 fatalities. The
number of fatalities doubled from 5,500
about one month ago. All indications
are that the curve is flattening. With the
beginning of reopening, what the rate
will be in the weeks or months from now
is anybody’s guess. It all depends on how
vigilant we, the public, are in maintaining
the methods and controls that help protect
us all.
At the end of Hamlet’s soliloquy, he pulls
himself out of his funk by deciding that too
much thinking about it prevents the action
he has to rise to. Which, for all of us, we
must come to the same decision and rise to
the occasion.
As an aside, Shakespeare was born during
a pandemic and lived through at least four
more. While in quarantine during one of
the pandemics he wrote King Lear. Now
that’s putting downtime to good use. +
BY: ERIC P. WOKAS, CSP ARM
RISK CONTROL CONSULTANT
JGS INSURANCE
Eric Wokas has over 25 years of experience as a risk management consultant working for various
major property/casualty insurance carriers including Continental, Zurich and Gerling as well as
Aon an international insurance brokerage firm. At JGS Insurance Eric continues to assist clients
in development and implementation of practical solutions in reducing risk.
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