Valley chambers of commerce form alliance, creating phase-in plan for reopening Arizona's economy
Valley business leaders are sharing their plans on when they think the Arizona economy should re-open amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Several chambers of commerce in the east Valley formed an alliance and wrote a memo to Governor Doug Ducey regarding the matter.
The statewide stay-at home-order will expire on April 30th and Ducey will be announcing this week whether or not he will extend it.
The alliance came up with a three-phase plan hoping Ducey will listen.
“The bottom line is businesses are not going to make it to June 30th, many businesses will have to close their doors if we wait that long,” says Kathy Tilque, legislative chair for the alliance.
That is the main concern for Tilque. That is why she and 8 other chambers, representing 5,000 members, came out with the memo in response to his request from the business community to provide guidelines for the economy’s reopening.
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They outlined a phase-in approach.
Phase 1: Starting on May 15th, 50% of employees would be able to return to work.
Phase 2: On June 1st is when retail stores, hair and nail salons would reopen.
Phase 3: On June 15th, gyms, bars and restaurants would be able to reopen as well.
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“We thought by waiting to the 15th, we would have a better understanding of the metrics, what is happening on the COVID-19 front and also allowing businesses to reopen in a matter that is beneficial for everyone," Tilque explained.
The chamber of commerce alliance says with the amount of work and detail they put into the phase-in plan, hey hope it will help Ducey make a decision helping businesses and keeping people safe.