Almost immediately after Governor Laura Kelly announced her directive to extend the stay-home order through May 3, the Kansas Chamber released a plan to reopen the state for business.
Called the Relief and Recovery Agenda, it uses more than 40 recommendations from business owners. CEO Alan Cobb tells KVOE News it’s important to plan ahead for reopening business and society as a whole. He also believes it could — and should — happen within weeks, not months.
Foremost among them is adjusting the criteria for so-called “essential businesses” to developing a plan for “safe businesses. Cobb says this move would let all businesses work “in a manner completely safe for their employees, customers and society.”
The four-point plan involves getting Kansans back to work, economic recovery, regulation and liability relief and health care priorities. Cobb says the health crisis will subside to the point where business and society can safely get back to normal, so business should work with government officials to plan ahead and be ready for that point.
Health officials have warned about a potential return of coronavirus this upcoming fall, and some have said social distancing may be needed into 2022. Cobb says the plan is designed to avoid an economic shutdown like what we’re seeing now.
