As businesses continue to suffer economically from COVID-19 related operating restrictions, NJBIA and the New Jersey Business Coalition are asking Gov. Phil Murphy for more specific details on a comprehensive state reopening plan.
In a March 5 letter signed by more than 90 major business and nonprofit associations, the coalition also asked the governor for new approaches to indoor and outdoor gathering limits and the prudent reopening of more childcare centers.
“There’s a perception out there that our economy is open and we’re not,” NJBIA President and CEO Michele Siekerka recently told NJ Spotlight’s Rhonda Schafler. “There are continued significant restrictions in place and that’s for small businesses, Main Street businesses, as well as childcare facilities.”
Once the vaccine supply becomes more readily available in the coming weeks, the NJ Business Coalition also wants the governor to consider using employers as a point of distribution (POD) for COVID-19 vaccines.
“As we move beyond the initial phases of vaccine distribution, utilizing employers could improve vaccination efficiency, free up capacity at open PODs, and improve vaccine hesitancy given that employees already have an established relationship with their employers,” the coalition wrote.
“Employers can be a good source of education for their workforce as the vaccine rollout continues and employees may be more apt to engage in the process if they choose to be vaccinated when their employer is involved in the process,” the coalition’s letter to the governor stated.
Go here to read the New Jersey Business Coalition’s entire letter to the governor. The NJ Spotlight News interview with Michele Siekerka can be viewed here.
