🔒Businesses now must become COVID enforcers

Massachusetts has reached the second phase of Gov. Charlie Baker’s economic reopening plan, where it is once again acceptable for restaurants to open their dining rooms and for hotels to accept guests. While significant restrictions remain (face masks, limited occupancy, extensive cleaning requirements) nearly all businesses shut down in March over COVID-19 concerns now are allowed to be back up and running, with the notable exception of those hosting large groups and performances.

Yet as we all know, this is hardly a return to normal. The state and the country have yet to develop an effective testing, tracing and quarantining system. Since businesses were shut down in mid-March, more than 7,000 people have died in Massachusetts (800 in Worcester County). The curve of cases has been bent downward, and other states have allowed businesses to reopen, with varying degrees of restrictions. Are we past the peak, or will there be a second wave in the fall and winter? It’s too early to know, but organizations have canceled winter events over second surge concerns, like Tower Hill Botanic Garden in Boylston did with its main winter event – Night Lights – since it may be forced to shut down again.

Yet, the economy must reopen. Massachusetts’ unemployment rate was near its all-time low with 2.8% in March but rose to an all-time high of 15.1% in April, with Greater Worcester’s April number a hair lower at 14.4%. The short-term shutdown locally, across the nation, and the world is going to have long-term consequences on our economy and our psyche as a nation. So, as many companies open for business again, a good deal of responsibility falls to us to ensure our employees and customers are as safe as possible. This means enforcing face mask policies, allowing workers to work from home when possible, developing protocols to identify and keep sick people away from our offices, accepting operations may run at a reduced capacity, and being firm with those who attempt to skirt the new rules, even when they are valued customers. The containment of any second surge of the virus this fall will be largely dependent on how we can manage behaviors and keep within the safety guidelines laid out by the state. We’d all like to shake the virus and have it behind us, but lax enforcement will only make any problems lying ahead worse, so the summer is a time to stay vigilant.

Customers have already shown they are ready to comply with any necessary rules. While a handful of highly publicized incidents of non-compliance have hit the news, a trip to the grocery store or Home Depot shows the vast majority of us are wearing face masks, follow social distancing markers, and patiently waiting our turn in line. Now that more businesses are reopening, we can’t lose our nerve when it comes to enforcing these regulations designed to keep our employees and customers safe.

During the economic shutdown, businesses large and small lobbied vigorously they could responsibly reopen, following any rules deemed necessary, if they could just start generating revenue again. Now that this chance has come, there is too much at stake to blow it. Having more than 7,000 people lose their lives to the pandemic is tragic. Having another 7,000 die because we were irresponsible in a rush to return to our pre-pandemic lives would be stupid, and will cost us in both lives and further economic pain.