The San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce says tightening rules to prevent the spread of COVID-19 is good for business.
California officials are asking state workers to prove they’ve been vaccinated, or facing regular testing or masking at work.
The move was supported by many state’s business association who see the rules as a way to keep the economic recovery going.
“From the beginning of the pandemic, the business community has been a partner with the governor and public health officials by implementing mitigation protocols and testing, hosting vaccination clinics, communicating the need to get vaccinated, promoting the vaccine through its own PSA, and offering incentives to employees and customers,” said the groups in a press release.
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The coalition includes the California Business Roundtable, California’s Hotel and Lodging Association and the California Retailers Association.
“We will continue to look to work with the governor on additional ways we can help encourage vaccines without negatively impacting employment opportunities or our economic recovery at this critical stage, while paying special attention to continued outreach to Black and Latino communities.”
Coalition Supporting Governor
California Business Roundtable
California Business Properties Association
California Hotel and Lodging Association
California Manufacturers and Technology Association
California Retailers Association
California Restaurant Association
Orange County Business Council
Los Angeles County BizFed
Central Valley BizFed
Inland Empire Economic Partnership
The San Diego Chamber supports asking workers for vaccination records.
“It’s just being aware of other people’s positions,” said chamber CEO Jerry Sanders. “And you don’t want to make other people sick and you don’t want to be spreading the virus. We know that this can still be very deadly with a lot of people who have not been vaccinated and ... I don’t think it’s a lot to ask somebody to wear a mask.”
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Sanders wears his mask indoors and outdoors at large gatherings calling it personal responsibility to help keep others safe.
“You can be safe by wearing masks and you can be safe by having people come into your business wearing masks,” Sanders said. “Right now, safety of all of our business owners and their patrons is of paramount importance.”
The chamber is urging people to get vaccinated and they are advising their members that masks create an additional level of safety that’s crucial to help turn back the latest virus surge.
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The tightening rules for state workers come as the Centers for Disease Control are urging vaccinated and unvaccinated people to wear masks when indoors in areas that have high transmission rates.
CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky announced the change Tuesday, saying the Delta variant "behaves uniquely different from past strains of the virus that cause COVID-19.''
Los Angeles County has already reinstated a mask mandate for people in indoor settings.
“The chance of getting infected is highest indoors,” said Kim Prather, an Atmospheric Chemist at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography.
Prather criticized the CDC for lifting masking recommendations.
“It is critical for everyone to wear masks until Delta passes,” Prather said. “This will block the emission by infected people as well as inhalation by people that can become infected. People who are doubly vaccinated CAN get infected and carry it to other non-vaccinated people which included kids younger than 12 years old and immunocompromised individuals.”
