AnonymousSource: County of Santa Barbara
This week, Santa Barbara County reached a milestone with more than 4,000 county-based businesses successfully completing a series of tasks that allowed them to safely re-open their businesses in the coronavirus pandemic.
“We are very pleased to see so many businesses taking important steps to safely re-open their businesses during the pandemic,” commented Gregg Hart, Chair, Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors. “This demonstrates the amazing resiliency of the business community and their perseverance during this difficult and unprecedented time.”
To assist businesses, the County of Santa Barbara produced the RISE (Reopening In Safe Environment) Guide. The Santa Barbara County RISE Guide was developed by medical experts and supported by feedback from all sectors of the community to create a science-based framework for residents, businesses and organizations by which to reopen in a phased manner, while prioritizing public health and protecting the county’s most vulnerable populations.
“The development of the RISE Guide included the participation of more than 350 individuals in a series of 27 roundtable meetings with city leaders, local elected officials, chambers of commerce, industry sectors, faith-based communities, representatives of essential workers and organizations that regularly work with minority and underserved populations,” explained Hart.
The County’s reopening plan also includes a template for businesses to create their own custom COIVD-19 protection plan consistent with state guidance and health officer orders, as well as a self-attestation to signal to employees and the public that their business took the necessary steps to ensure a safe reopening.
Additionally, the County assembled a team of ambassadors who offer one-on-one help for individual businesses, assisting them in their re-opening process.
“The ambassador program was very effective in providing individualized assistance to businesses across the county,” said Hart. “Through our ambassadors, we were able to really help businesses obtain the tools they needed to open their doors.”
The business attestations completed to-date include a variety of business sectors located across the county. To view the RISE guide and other business re-opening information, please go to recoverysbc.org.
No something to be proud of 3 months after reopening. We have over 12,000 businesses and just because someone has completed their attestation does not mean they are following the rules. Why? Enforcement is a total joke. We can do better, but it take foresight and political will. Sadly, we have neither and our electric and non-elected officials are acting more like members of the tin hat club than rational, logical people.