GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Small business owners that have remain closed since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic back in March are eagerly awaiting Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's next steps.
On Thursday, Grand Rapids Mayor Rosalynn Bliss, Kent County Board Chair Mandy Bolter, and Grand Rapids Chamber President & CEO Rick Baker held a press conference on the piazza at Studio Park.
"Our business leaders have consistently demonstrated a tremendous sense of pride, dedication and willingness to innovate to ensure our community stays safe," Mayor Bliss said during the press conference. "We are not afraid to partner and collaborate across all sectors to find solutions."
"I am confident that entertainment venues like Studio Park, as well as our local gyms, the YMCA, our bowling alleys and others can safely reopen with appropriate safety protocols in place – just as we have seen occur with other businesses throughout our community," she continued.
"We can do both -- create safe spaces, follow public health precautions and support our businesses in recovering from this global pandemic."
►Watch the full press conference here.
Kent County Board Chair Mandy Bolter said that she and Mayor Bliss wrote a letter to Gov. Whitmer, to be sure that she knew how hard business owners were working to operate safely.
"We want [Whitmer] to know about the innovation and creativity of our businesses and that they are doing all they can to keep their employees and customers safe," Bolter said.
The Kent County Health Department has worked with companies including Meijer and Spectrum to create a free screening tool for local businesses. The tool has averted almost 900 employees locally from reporting to work due to symptoms.
"We can do this -- but we need to take action, before many of these businesses close for good and the jobs are gone forever," Bolter continued. "As we go forward, we will do what we do best in West Michigan -- work together collaboratively, in a bipartisan way, to find additional, local solutions to provide relief and assistance."
Four months ago, the Grand Rapids Chamber presented a phased, restart plan to policymakers with a framework based upon geographic and activity-based risk to create pathways for regions to responsibly reopen as quickly, and as safely as possible.
"While we are disappointed that we did not hear an anticipated announcement from the Governor on the reopening of these business yesterday, we hope to soon," Grand Rapids Chamber President & CEO Rick Baker said. "But we stress that that soon cannot come soon enough."
Facilities likes gyms, bowling alleys and movie theaters have been closed since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and Whitmer’s stay-at-home order.
Owners of these businesses have been pushing for Whitmer to let them reopen in the past months, with recent reports circulating that the governor would address the possibility of reopening the facilities in her Wednesday update. That did not happen.
"When it comes to battling COVID-19, we all have to be on the same team,” Whitmer said during the update. "People’s lives are at stake, COVID is still a very real threat across our state. I will continue to treat it like that."
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