I am a small business owner in Virginia who opposes making the COVID-19 Workplace Safety Emergency Standard permanent. Six months into the pandemic, I have learned that we are all still learning and need to be able to adapt to new information and protocols.  I want to keep my employees healthy and safe because I 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. Imposing “one size fits all” COVID-19 regulations on all employers is unreasonable and unnecessary. The Board needs to take the time to see what challenges employers are facing implementing the emergency regulations before taking any further action.