Dear Members of the Safety and Health Code Board,

First, thank you for your time and effort in helping control the spread of Covid-19 in our beloved State of Virginia.  I think the temporary standards have helped a lot.

As an employer at Smith-Midland Corporation, a precast concrete manufacturer that produces essential products for infrastructure needs in Virginia, I strongly oppose a Permanent Standard for Infectious Disease Prevention.  The proposed standard has no specified end date and is based on a temporary standard for a temporary health crisis.  There are now two vaccines distibuted to Virginia which will soon wipe out Covid-19.

A permanent standard will be burdensome and costly to our business (in both time and money) and provides no flexibilty to adapt for a time (hopefully soon) when Covid-19 is no longer a threat.  Again, I STRONGLY OPPOSE the adoption of a Permanent Standard, with no expiration, for what is a temporary health crisis.

We will remain, as always, committed to the health and safety of our employees.  I appreciate you giving me the opportunity to publicly comment. 

Sincerely,

Matthew Smith, Smith-Midland Corp.