With COVID-19 still a threat, can Kansas City and Missouri reopen the economy safely?
Just a simple question before Missouri allows nonessential businesses to open Monday:
Is enough coronavirus testing available to reopen safely?
“In no way, shape or form,” says Rex Archer, director of the Kansas City Health Department. “This has been a failure (nationally) from the get-go.”
Still, Archer recognizes that, due to the harm to the economy, “we are at a point of damned if we do and damned if we don’t.”
In short, it’s largely out of Archer’s hands, as evidenced by Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas’ announcement Wednesday, with Archer’s guidance, that the city’s shutdown that was to last until May 15 will be relaxed: Non-consumer businesses such as professional offices can reopen May 6, with all other businesses eligible for opening May 15, subject to restrictions.
Again, is this safe? The practical answer is this: Probably not, but it’s happening regardless. So, as the economy reopens, the onus will be on business owners, employees and customers to make it as safe as possible. Period.
For consumers, Archer highly recommends not changing current COVID-19 precautions much, if at all. Limit travel and interaction as much as possible. Work remotely if you can. Wash hands multiple times a day. Wear a mask in public. Stay home if you can, and certainly if you’re not feeling well.
As for businesses, he says, “You need to be responsible in how you open up.”
But what exactly does that mean?
Right on time, four area business and civic organizations Wednesday released a joint primer for businesses and workers to follow in order to reopen the economy safely. The 18-page “Safe Return KC” guide is a detailed, three-phase blueprint for how to open businesses that are safe for workers, customers and visitors alike.
The guide, informed by CDC recommendations, suggests business owners meet virtually with employees before opening to listen to their concerns and needs and adapt accordingly, as well as to explain new protocols and policies in writing and, where appropriate, in workplace signage.
“Employees should be encouraged to take their own temperature twice each day — once before entering the workplace and once after work,” says the guide, produced by The Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce, Kansas City Area Development Council, Mid-America Regional Council and the Civic Council of Greater Kansas City.
The guide has suggestions regarding distancing and protocols for clients and customers; employee common areas and work desk distancing; keeping office records on all contacts with visitors for contact tracing; requiring visitors to wear masks; discontinuing in-person business meetings when possible; and even avoiding sharing paper documents and whiteboard implements.
The Safe Return KC guide is such a must-read that we’re not sure an owner should open a nonessential business without poring over it. If that means waiting beyond Monday to reopen, so be it.
“They’ve got to look at their particular situation and determine what is best for them and their workplace,” says Tim Cowden, president and CEO of the Kansas City Area Development Council. “It will be different for one business to the other.”
At bottom, it’s up to business owners to decide what this reopening looks like. The Safe Return KC guide and those who labored mightily to put it together say it’s paramount that owners listen to their employees and customers — and to prepare more carefully than they ever have, prior to throwing the doors open.
It’s clear that Dr. Archer is a reluctant participant in all this, and it’s more than OK — it’s prudent — for you to be as well.
Some precautions will be temporary, while others will be indefinite. The best advice is simply to be more cautious than ever — without hurting yourself, that is: Dr. Darryl Nelson, chief medical officer at Centerpoint Medical Center in Independence, says one general surgeon has recently dealt with three burst appendixes, after months of seeing none. Nelson says those with underlying medical conditions must, and should, feel safe to have them treated.
As for the rest of us, Archer suggests acting as if you already have the virus and are taking care not to spread it.
Personal and social responsibility have never been more important than they are today.
This story was originally published April 30, 2020 at 5:00 AM.