Return to Work Virtual Meeting hosted for local businesses

May 8--WARRENSBURG -- A Return to Work Virtual Meeting was hosted for local business owners Friday, May 1, via Zoom.

Representatives of the Johnson County COVID-19 Task Force presented the meeting and provided attendees with an overview of the county's Response and Recovery Plan as well as ways to safely reopen businesses.

The Warrensburg Chamber of Commerce, JOCOMO Emergency Operations and Johnson County Emergency Management Agency hosted the meeting.

Speakers at the event included Johnson County Community Health Services Administrator Mary Thaut, Western Missouri Medical Center President/CEO Darinda Dick and Johnson County Economic Development Corporation Business and Talent Development Coordinator Aimee Courtaway.

Thaut, Dick and Courtaway discussed the Response and Recovery Plan issued by JCCHS on Thursday, April 30, and what that meant for local business operations.

After discussing the details of the recovery plan, the task force representatives answered questions from business owners in attendance.

Thaut said the success of each phase of the recovery plan is dependent on business leaders, individuals and members of the community.

Thaut also said if a rapid increase in COVID-19 positive cases occurs, the county will need to move back through the recovery steps.

Dick also said that completing the current phase of the plan Johnson County is in, Phase 2, will likely take a while as it requires a vaccine to be created, which she said could possibly take another year.

Dick said the number of new confirmed positive cases in Johnson County started to steadily decrease on April 15, which she said indicates the effectiveness of the stay-at-home order enacted in Johnson County on April 1 as the incubation period for COVID-19 is 14 days.

However, with the stay-at-home order lifted, she said she does expect positive cases to continue occurring and stressed it is now up to individuals as well as businesses to continue practicing social distancing.

"We are going to have spread," Dick said. "This is all about slowing it down so that we can handle the healthcare crisis."

Dick went on to say that the community currently has a low immunity to the virus as there has not been a large spread.

Dick said that while WMMC recently began offering antibody testing, which determines whether the body has already contracted COVID-19 and developed antibodies to combat it, the majority of people tested who would get tested at the moment will not have the antibodies.

Courtaway spoke about the challenges businesses beginning to open may be facing and said the Business Education Task Force is providing information and one-on-one health and safety discussions to help businesses ease back in.

Courtaway said one of the things the task force is working on is compiling a list of local resources for businesses to purchase safety equipment such as Plexiglas dividers, face masks, face shields, signage and sanitizer.

Courtaway said the goal is to find businesses selling these items in bulk so that businesses can acquire their needed materials and keep equipment for the community in stock.

Staff Writer Dustin Steinhoff can be reached by emailing [email protected] or by calling (660) 747-8123.

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