The Whatcom County Public Health Advisory Board (PHAB) last week voted to create a COVID Business Support Task Force, which will provide tools, best practices, and guidance for bringing businesses back to work while maintaining and improving infection control and social distancing.
The Task Force will provide peer- and association-led opportunities to convene and share procedures, challenges in implementation, and group problem-solving with the goal of creating a set of best practices and guidelines for ensuring businesses have measures in place to protect their employees and customers or clients from the risk of infection with COVID-19. This important work is in alignment with, but not designed to replace, the broader economic development and recovery efforts being undertaken at the county level.
“Having industry experts work together with public health to design practices that will work for businesses is a lynchpin step toward businesses reopening safely,” said Erika Lautenbach, Whatcom County Health Department Director. “We know our business and organizational partners want to do their part to prevent further infections in our community, and we’re looking forward to having creative and strategic minds work together on this.”
Today, a sub-group of the PHAB, along with Whatcom Unified Command members and staff from the Health Department, finalized the goals, objectives, and timelines for the Task Force, created the membership needs, and approved an application. Applications for the Task Force and a list of membership roles is available on the Task Force webpage. All applications can be sent to health@co.whatcom.wa.us, and individuals selected for membership will be notified following a vote of the PHAB at a special meeting on Friday, May 1 at 2:00 p.m. The application period will be open until Thursday, April 30 at 5:00 p.m.
All meetings of the Task Force will be public, and video recordings will be posted on the Task Force webpage. The Task Force will also take public comment at each meeting. Applicants who are not selected for the Task Force are encouraged to attend their sector meeting and provide comment at Task Force meetings.
For more information about the Task Force, including purpose and establishment, please visit the Task Force page.