Time is wasting away! Just as we saw the federal government fritter away six weeks or more of time that could have been used to mobilize to fight the coronavirus medically, I see states, cities and counties with their economic brains in neutral, waiting for "the response to be done." Where are the people who have always acknowledged that during the response, we have to partition off several people to get the disaster recovery going?
My parent organization, the Pacific Northwest Economic Region (PNWER) is five states and five Canadian provinces and territories. We are suggesting to the people and organizations we work with that action can and should be taken now.
For economic recovery to occur, PNWER has reached out to stakeholders and experts to identify what we can do now, mid-term, and long-term for recovery. Our team has suggested the following activities for governments to begin to do today, recognizing that more funding is needed:
- Evaluate needs and capabilities in the business sector and set recovery priorities.
- Ensure supply chains are available and businesses can reopen
- Provide support to producers and industry to keep economic anchors functioning.
- Support the adjacent businesses (e.g., suppliers, shops, restaurants, small businesses that cater to anchor industry workers) to get back on their feet and thrive.
- Connect businesses with employees, goods and markets.
- Retain and support small and medium-sized businesses.
- Communicate the strength of the economy and its recovery.
- Help the region start exporting again.
