Kansas City business, health leaders see hope on the COVID horizon — if people behave

COVID-19 cases are down. But our guard needs to stay up.

That’s the urgent message of health and business communities in the Kansas City region.

“I think we’re both really hopeful,” says Shea Geist, who together with her husband owns Overland Park-based Shark Off LLC, which sells shark repellent bracelets and anklets, mostly to inlanders headed for coastal beaches. After a rocky March and April last year and a perilous rest of 2020, she says things are looking up considerably — especially as vaccines begin taking hold.

With one caveat: “We’re just crossing our fingers that people behave over the next couple of months, so that we can all have a summer.”

Like the Geists, with the recent plunge in COVID-19 cases, the Kansas City business community appears more optimistic than at any time in the past year: A survey by the KC Chamber, Kansas City Area Development Council, KCSourceLink, the Black Chamber of Commerce of Greater Kansas City, the Mid-America LGBT Chamber and Visit KC found 236 area businesses and nonprofits are pretty bullish about the light at the end of the pandemic tunnel.

In fact, an astounding 95% are confident — 64% very, 31% somewhat — that their businesses will fully recover.

And if you’d like another bit of hope, many of the respondents say the pandemic may end up making their organizations smarter and stronger. Perhaps one indication: A whopping 46% say they’ve altered company policies to allow for permanent remote work.

“It has made us think outside the box more, increased our team communication and improved teamwork,” one business owner said in the survey.

“The pandemic has brought us together in ways we weren’t expecting,” said another.

“Efficiency, productivity have increased, expenses have decreased,” said yet another.

“We will be more adaptable in the future,” said one, who may have spoken for most.

Just as encouraging is this: When asked about top priorities for future assistance, by far the most common response was “maintaining the health of my workforce.”

What a relief to hear such buoyancy and focused priorities from a beleaguered business community. It’s music to a community’s ears.

We’re definitely on a good track. Cases have dropped nationally by up to 77% since their peak in mid-January, and Kansas City last week saw the seventh consecutive drop in the rolling average for new cases. Even WebMD.com asks, “Is It Time for Optimism?” Adds The Atlantic: “A Quite Possibly Wonderful Summer.”

Except:

Regional and national health officials warn that exuberance could reduce prudence — and might not only stop the decline in cases but also lead to a rise in them. Indeed, Texas doctors warn that Gov. Greg Abbott’s decision Tuesday to remove that state’s mask mandate and allow 100% capacity in businesses could create a new COVID-19 surge. President Joe Biden called it “Neanderthal thinking.”

“If people get complacent, particularly with the new variant as it starts increasing in circulation, we may have another surge,” warns Kansas City Public Health Director Dr. Rex Archer. “There are some national experts (who) are predicting another significant surge here in the next month or two. People can’t get complacent. People need to continue to take personal responsibility for not spreading this disease knowingly or unknowingly.

“We’re still in this for quite a while.”

Johnson County Public Health Director Dr. Sanmi Areola agrees.

“It is still too early to abandon the proven public health interventions,” Areola says. “There is still a very real concern about the virus variants, as well as a resurgence of viral transmission.” Describing himself as “cautiously optimistic,” Areola nonetheless adds, “There needs to be an awareness that while this is good news, we need to be realistic about how quickly COVID-19 spreads. This is not the time to let our guard down.

“People should continue to wear masks, physically distance from others, stay away from crowds, stay home when you are sick and wash your hands often.”

“While I do think there’s light at the end of the tunnel,” says an upbeat Kansas City-based Pro Athlete Inc. CEO Andrew Dowis., “we’re by no means through this. We’re still taking all the precautions. We’re not going to return to business as usual, I would think, this year.”

Dowis has a particular credibility on this topic: He’s only the head of a youth baseball/softball equipment company that was named 2016’s third-healthiest in the entire United States.

March 2021 has only started, but Shark Off owner Geist says business is looking a ton better than a year ago.

“What our belief has always been was that the microsecond it’s safe, everyone is going to explode out of their houses and find somewhere, probably a beach, to head to.”

But only if people keep safe a few more months.

“Dream,” Geist says. “Let’s all talk about this and have fun thinking about it, so that when it’s time to go we’re all ready.

“But be smart right now.”

This story was originally published March 3, 2021 at 5:00 AM.