How To Safely Reopen Our Economy Without Another Outbreak

By Frank Castella, Jr
President and CEO
Dutchess County Regional Chamber of Commerce

Businesses have been hurt badly during the COVID-19 crisis and the outlook for many is not good. Here in New York State, many of our businesses are still under the PAUSE order or are limited in capacity with strict guidelines in an attempt to “flatten the curve”. We are reopening with a state mandated phased in approach, however I believe that this is not the right method to reopen our economy and to mitigate the spread of the virus. In fact, I go as far as to say open all low-risk businesses now – with guidance and restrictions of course. We need to call upon our elected officials to use a common sense approach to reopening our retailers and malls as a method to slowing the risk of spreading the virus and I will explain why my approach is better.

Currently, retailers and large malls are unable to reopen to full capacity. The governor has placed a limitation on retail facilities larger than 100,000 square feet and large malls will not reopen until the final phase, which could be many weeks from now. I would argue that independent retailers, including malls, are crucial to mitigating the risk of the spread of the virus. I will also go further to say, if all low-risk businesses were open, it would additionally reduce the danger of spreading the virus.

If the full population is shopping at a limited number of XYZ Mega Marts, which has been the case throughout the pandemic, then an overwhelming concentrated number of people are passing through the doors of a select few stores. When those same customers come in contact with an asymptomatic store clerk or a contaminated door handle or countertop at an XYZ Mega Mart, then the customers are at some risk of potentially catching the virus due to exposure. However, the risk would be reduced if consumers had a choice to purchase the same items from a smaller shop – say in the mall for example. If specialty stores were allowed to open, they typically see a fraction of the amount of traffic of a mega store, this alone would decrease the chance of the spread of the virus – simply by taking the population and dispersing them among more retailers. After all, we have been told the exposure is less when fewer people are around, hence no events or social gathering.

Let me put numbers to it for you; if 1000 people go to XYZ Mega Mart, a surface is contaminated with COVID-19 or a clerk is asymptomatic, then all 1000 customers have been exposed to the virus and are at risk of contracting it. If those same 1000 people had a choice to purchase from a local shop or mall store, then perhaps 100 consumers would now patronize additional retailers because they’re looking for specialty items, hence avoiding exposure from the contaminated XYZ Mega Mart. This would mean only 900 people would have been placed at risk of exposure. If you calculate all of the different specialty items within XYZ Mega Store – it adds up to be a significant number of consumers that potentially could be shopping elsewhere.

Specialty items may include: eye glasses, pool supplies, sneakers, cell phones, RV supplies, clothing, jewelry, photo printing, sporting goods and more. If you take this all into account, there are a lot of businesses losing out and the public is at greater risk during a phased reopening plan.

Why aren’t we considering this and allowing our vital mom and pop shops and malls to reopen? I have asked this from our public officials and no one can give a reasonable answer. I suggest that reopening all businesses is more effective to keeping the curve flattened while reopening than a phased approach, and it is not nearly as detrimental to our economy.

Yes, we need to take precautions with regard to cleanliness, social distancing, face coverings, monitoring temperatures and more, but the survival of our businesses and health of our economy is currently dependent on an overly complicated process that is not the best solution. In my opinion, a phased process does nothing more than lengthen the amount of time our local retailers must go without income, while forcing the public to shop in mega stores, removes consumer right of choice, and does so at a higher risk of exposure of COVID-19 to the public.

Small businesses generally have a presence of ownership, with a vested interest in keeping their repeat customers, hence providing onsite employee oversight and they will go above and beyond to ensure a safe customer experience.

All that said, a phase IV opening for malls is unacceptable and I will continue to urge the change and ask that you join the Chamber in our fight to reopen all of our retailers. Should the logic of the above be applied to business, then our community will be at lower risk of a COVID-19 spike. We need to push for logic to overcome fear.

Reopening is key to the survival of retailers, many of which are locally owned and are now in grave danger of never being able to reopen their doors, and will mitigate the spread of the virus during the reviving of our economy. I also believe the very large open spaces of a mall facilitates social distancing and will lessen the density in stand-alone stores.

I implore the State to reconsider over the coming days and allow our indoor malls and enclosed shopping centers to open alongside other retailers in phase two in the Mid-Hudson Region. Thousands of jobs, businesses, livelihoods, and regional economies are depending on it. Mitigating the spread of the virus depends on it. We are ready to open with the health and well-being of the retailers, employees and consumers at top of mind.