I am a small business owner in Virginia who opposes making the COVID-19 Workplace Safety Emergency Standard permanent. As an essential business and an owner who has been dealing face to face with this pandemic for over 6 months, I have learned to adapt by implementing safety protocols to ensure physical distancing and extensive sanitization.  I have worked hard to keep my employees and customers safe because I care about their welfare as well as my own.

Now is not the time to make the emergency temporary standard 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.

My company 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.  I remain concerned about the impact many of the provisions of the emergency regulations are having on my business and encourage the Board to not make them permanent.