We are small business owners in Virginia who opposes making the COVID-19 Workplace Safety Emergency Standard permanent. Six months into the pandemic, we have learned to adapt to this unprecedented time by implementing safety protocols from a number of federal and state entities to ensure physical distancing and extensive sanitization.  We want to keep my employees and customers safe because we care about their welfare.

Now is not the time to make the emergency temporary standard permanent when it’s likely this pandemic will be temporary although COVID may be permanent. Imposing “one size fits all” COVID-19 regulations on all employers is unreasonable especially when guidance is continually changing as we learn more about the virus. The Board needs to take the time to see what challenges employers are facing implementing the emergency regulations before taking any further action.

Our non-profit organization takes its responsibility for protecting its employees seriously.  Making the COVID-19 emergency regulations permanent will only make a difficult situation worse for employers and employees. We remain concerned about the impact many of the provisions of the emergency regulations are having on our business and encourage the Board to not make them permanent