Air Date
July 17, 2020
Featured Guest
Dr. Anthony S. Fauci
Director, National Institute of Allergy and Infection Diseases
Moderator
Suzanne P. Clark
President and CEO, U.S. Chamber of Commerce
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to challenge countless business owners across the world, many are facing both the risk of reopening their business and the risk of staying closed — both of which are discouraging choices. However, in this seemingly lose-lose situation, there are ways for small business owners to safely reopen and operate their company without putting their staff’s or customers’ health on the line.
Infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci, who has been a trusted voice of hope and guidance throughout the pandemic, stressed the importance of the business community and urged businesses to try to reopen. To do so, however, business owners must follow the CDC guidelines and structured recommendations for reopening in a phased approach.
Having a Healthy Business Community Is Pertinent to Overall Community Health
Despite how dangerous the COVID-19 virus is, our economy must begin its path to recovery. Small businesses must reopen and jobs must be restored for workers to put food on the table and lead a healthy and sustainable lifestyle.
“The business community is so essential to everything we do — even our health,” said Fauci. “To have a healthy community, you have to have a healthy business community. [Business owners have] to try, within the framework of safety and attention to your health and your safety and your welfare, to get back to normal again. [We must] open America again in a way that’s prudent, that’s careful and that follows the guidelines that we’ve spent considerable time putting together.”
Failure to comply with the CDC guidelines will only set businesses — and their communities — back rather than propel them forward with resilience.
Business Owners Must View CDC Guidelines as a Helpful Resource for Reopening, Not an Obstacle
Many business owners are frustrated at the restrictions imposed on them by the CDC guidelines, but these phases of reopening exist to help, not hinder, their success.
“The public health apparatus shouldn’t be looked upon as the obstacle in the way of opening,” Fauci said. “It should be a gateway, a vehicle, and a facilitation of opening.”
He added that if businesses follow these guidelines, they are unlikely to shut back down, which is the ultimate goal.
“If you do it prudently, I believe you can, in most instances, continue to progress along to bringing back and opening up America again,” Fauci said.
