Page 10 - BusinessWest May 26, 2020
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Relief, Joy ... and Anxiety, Too
Bay State’s Shift in COVID Restrictions Brings Range of Emotions
WBy George O’Brien
hile it was not exactly unexpected
news, in some quarters, at least, Gov.
Charlie Baker’s recent announce- ment that he was accelerating the reopening of Massachusetts — shifting the date for removing most restrictions on businesses from Aug. 1 to May 29 and also removing most mask man- dates — nonetheless sent shockwaves through the business community.
And for different reasons.
For tourism-related businesses, the announce- ment means they gain nine precious weeks dur- ing their peak time of the year to operate without the restrictions that have hamstrung them since March 2020. Everyone was looking longingly toward that time, but it comes sooner than most anticipated.
Indeed, for those businesses and many others, the announcement comes at a time when they’re struggling to find enough workers to handle
the current pace of business, let alone the surge expected to come when the restrictions are lifted, adding another rather large dose of anxiety on that issue.
And, speaking of anxiety, for those businesses that were struggling with the challenge of when
new set of head- aches for employ- ers who already had enough to deal with, said Meredith Wise, president of the Employers Assoc.
of the NorthEast, adding that faith in the honor system
is not shared by many employers and employees alike.
RICK SULLIVAN
“All of our destination locations are going to see a pretty quick uptick in business; I think there’s a huge amount of pent-up demand in the travel and tourism industry for people to get away.”
on such businesses.
“I know people are pretty excited about it,” he
said, adding that he’s had discussions with many in the hospitality sector who were looking forward to the day when they could be at full capacity — and now it’s almost here. “All of our destination locations are going to see a pretty quick uptick in business; I think there’s a huge amount of pent- up demand in the travel and tourism industry for people to get away.
“I think people are really ready for some quality time,” he went on. “And that means travel and tak- ing advantage of the venues we have here in West- ern Mass. for day trips.”
Nancy Creed, president of the Springfield Regional Chamber, agreed, noting that gaining those two all-important summer months will provide a much-needed lift for businesses in that sector.
“This is great for the hospitality sector — they really need those summer months,” she said, add- ing that the difference between May 29 and Aug. 1 for that sector is immense.
That said, the governor’s announcement is only the latest of many that have caught business owners and managers by surprise and left them somewhat flat-footed, with little time to adjust to changing conditions.
“Some people were a little shell-shocked with the announcement,” said Creed, adding that this sentiment applies to everything from restaurants and tourist attractions ramping up for full capac- ity to business owners of all sizes now having to deal with questions on mask wearing, requiring vaccinations, bringing remote workers back to the office, and more.
Wise agreed. She said the announcement from
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           MEREDITH WISE
“Things are very volatile in many respects. One of our members said, ‘we’ve gotten into a period where we’re intolerant of other people’s views and perspectives, and all this adds one more layer that can potentially cause a problem in the workplace.’”
and how to fully reopen their offices and bring back employees who have been working remotely, the governor’s announcement brings more lay- ers of intrigue to what were already-complicated decisions.
As for the lifting of the mask mandate — the governor and CDC have decided that vacci- nated individuals no longer have to wear masks indoors or outdoors — it has created a whole
the state has finally reached the fourth stage of the reopening plan the governor announced almost exactly a year ago: what Baker calls the ‘new normal.’
There was definitely some joy and relief, espe- cially in the beleaguered hospitality sector, said Rick Sullivan, president and CEO of the Western Massachusetts Economic Development Council, who predicted both a quick and profound impact
“Things are very volatile in many respects,” she said, adding that differing opinions about whether vaccinated individuals should still wear masks
in the workplace prompted a fistfight recently between two now-former employees of a com- pany in Rhode Island, an EANE member. “One
of our members said, ‘we’ve gotten into a period where we’re intolerant of other people’s views
and perspectives, and all this adds one more
layer that can potentially cause a problem in the workplace.’”
So it was certainly with a mix of emotions that the business community greeted the news that
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