What does reopening during the coronavirus crisis look like? Over the past several weeks, counties in Rural Pennsylvania have "gone yellow" and some have "gone green." What does that mean and, ideally, what does that look like? To help us understand, Sam spoke with Bob Garrett, the President/CEO of the Greater Susquehanna Valley Chamber of Commerce, on Thursday, May 28th.

SHOW NOTES:

Business Guidelines During This Pandemic Situation:

• Chamber's Responsible Re-Entry document
• The state’s business guidance page has been updated as of June 1
• This is a one-page version of the business guidance that is supposed to be signed and posted on site clarifying that employees and customers must wear masks
• This is a one-pager version of the business guidance posted on the Downtown Partnership website.  

Business liability background:

• PennLive article on the insurance implications of businesses not following public health guidelines
• National Law Review article on the same topic
• Daily Item Article on the Chamber's Economic Forecast event including the acknowledgement of the need for distancing, hygiene, and masks  
• Daily Item article on Staying Vigilant During Green Phase, which evokes CDC recommendations which include wearing a cloth covering over one's nose and mouth
• Public access complaint form in the event a business is putting people at risk

Phasing Discussions:

• Going Green? What Does It Mean? Article (Plus Info About Masks)
• Here's the Yellow Phase discussion which included links to the business guidelines
• Contact Tracing Explained in Cartoon Form 

Mask Review:

Be smart, be responsible, be kind — wear a mask! It’s not a reflection on your bravery; it is a reflection of your concern for others.  Masks have become a contentious and confusing topic, but the information from good sources is quite clear:  their use is recommended for almost everyone (other than children under 3 or people with medical conditions) and they will work best if everyone is wearing them, not just the "chronically concerned."  For lots more detail:

• This (free) Atlantic article addresses the topic quite well, including the question of protection for the wearer versus protection from the wearer. 
• This Forbes Magazine article debunks the concern about their being dangerous or a cause of CO2 poisoning. 
• This Reuters article debunks the claim that wearing a mask will damage your immune system.
• The AAAS (American Academy for the Advancement of Science) Science Mag offers this study about masks which includes another great graphic explaining again how universal masking, even with homemade cloth masks, is critical to reducing transmission.   

 

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FEATURED MUSIC: "On The Wings" by Citay is licensed under a CC Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike License.   Produced in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania