SAN ANTONIO — A day after top city health officials said San Antonio was on the right track in regards to slowing the spread of the coronavirus in the community, the task force charged with planning the jump-start of the local economy provided its recommendations to local leaders—with a focus on aiding small businesses that have fewer than 25 employees.
In a joint meeting of city councilors and county commissioners on Tuesday, the economic transition team – headed by the presidents of Toyota Motor Manufacturing Texas and Tejas Premier Building Contractors – presented a set of recommendations that prioritize expanding beyond state guidance, compromising economic security for minority-owned stores with public health, and encouraging Alamo City small businesses to "take the pledge" of ensuring cleanliness and safety for customers.
The Economic Transition Team referred to that promise as the "Greater. SAfer. Together. Pledge," an initiative the team says is guided by the objective of uniting the city through its businesses via communications and a universal goal of "instilling consumer confidence" as the coronavirus pandemic continues.
When it comes to assisting small businesses that may not have the same cushion to withstand the pandemic's economic fallout as larger corporations do, the ETT recommended that San Antonio and Bexar County leaders prioritize strategies that make it easier to get relief, broaden the shops' image in the community and provide bilingual training to combat the coronavirus's spread. It also recommended local leaders work to make it easier for small businesses to stay stocked up on health supplies which may be scarce right now, including "no-touch thermometers, face coverings and hand sanitizer."
The ETT also began to look long-term for local small businesses, recommended that city and county officials develop a special task force charged with "addressing small local business needs for future disaster and pandemic preparedness," along with assisting in growth.
Later in the day, at a daily briefing alongside County Judge Nelson Wolff, Nirenberg commented on the need for long-term preparation.
"We policymakers, we have to look beyond just where we are now and really start talking about how we protect community health, how we protect workers in this community," he said. "This pandemic has proven over and over again that the foundation for a strong economy is community health."
