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Tuesday, Mar 19, 2024

Planning, Preparing for COVID-19

By STUART WALDMAN First, let me start by saying, we will get through this. We will come out of this a more unified and strengthened city, county, state and nation. The last few weeks and the last month have undoubtedly impacted everyone. COVID-19 has altered our normal and has required everyone do their part to help slow the spread of this disease. Back in January, when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed the first COVID-19 case in the United States, most were unmoved or unaware. The effect of the virus was said to be that of the flu. There was nothing to be worried about, right? In February, we began witnessing the rapid spread and the devastating impact of COVID-19 in places like China and Italy. I don’t think many believed or thought this is where we would be now, but at the time, I knew it wouldn’t be long before we would be at risk as well. So, I prepared. I started creating a plan for my family and I started creating a plan for the Valley Industry and Commerce Association. Keep in mind; I began doing this in February – nearly a month before the city and county announced the “Safer at Home” order and before Gov. Gavin Newsom announced his “Stay at Home” order last week. For my family, I began purchasing essential supplies and started to accept the reality of possibly having to stay home for days and weeks at a time. I did not hoard, but rather, I prepared. For VICA, I began to think about how me and my staff would continue doing our jobs if COVID-19 continued to spread and if we were ordered to stay in our homes. Our members rely on us for the most up-to-date information on what’s going on in government and business. I knew closing and shutting down our operations altogether was not an option, especially at a time when many would be uncertain about how their business and workers would be impacted during and after this crisis. In February, most thought I was ridiculous and told me I was panicking, but I began situating my staff to be able to work from home and began strategizing how our organization would maintain continuity in our operations. We continued to conduct our daily business and operate as normal, but I had regular conversations and meetings with my staff to let them know they needed to be prepared to work remotely. When March arrived, COVID-19 began making a stronger presence in the United States and in California. The number of infected patients kept growing and the risk of contracting the disease continued to increase. At VICA, we had one of our biggest events of the year planned for March 13, but on March 10 I made the tough decision to postpone this event. I anticipated the impact of COVID-19 to hit rapidly and anticipated our elected leaders to begin implement restrictions on gathering. Sure enough, the following Monday, they started doing exactly that. Now, we are ordered to “Stay at Home” because we are “Safer at Home.” At VICA, we have begun holding all of our meetings remotely via video conference call; all of our staff works from home; and we are nicely situated to overcome this challenging time. I’m not saying I can see the future, but I am saying we need to be prepared. Businesses and business owners should have plans and be prepared for a major earthquake, for a recession and for a pandemic. We need to hope for the best and plan for the worst. Running a business in Los Angeles and California is not easy, and times like these present a number of challenges that make it harder for businesses to stay afloat. While our legislators have approved bills to provide some relief for businesses, VICA is also here to help. We will get through this together. Thank you to our first responders, to our healthcare workers, to our elected officials, and to all of the workers who have continued to ensure our communities and families have the food and supplies necessary to get through this time. Stuart Waldman is President of the Valley Industry and Commerce Association, a business advocacy organization based in Van Nuys that represents employers in the San Fernando Valley at the local, state and federal levels of government. 

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