| The Chester County Commissioners and members of the Chester County COVID-19 Business Task Force announced today, important updates to the Restore Chester County website, introduced earlier this year to support businesses, organizations and residents impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Since its launch in May, RestoreChesterCounty.org has provided COVID-19 public health and safety guidance for Chester County’s 15,000-plus businesses and 525,000-plus residents, including a checklist for 21 industry sectors on how to reopen and remain open. The website has also provided resources for businesses and organizations to obtain Personal Protective Equipment. Now, seven months later and nine months into the pandemic, Restore Chester County’s updates will include carefully curated strategic actions, once again broken down into 21 industry sectors. “In the early months of this pandemic, we brought together Chester County business, economic, education and government leaders to form a business task force that focused on how we start the recovery process resulting from COVID-19. The creation of Restore Chester County was one of the key decisions made by the group,” said Chester County Commissioners’ Chair Marian Moskowitz. “Since that time we have conducted research into best practices for recovery, completed a Restore Chester County survey and interviewed local business stakeholders, which has resulted in the updates now included on the website.” Visitors to RestoreChesterCounty.org will be presented with overall “Action Steps,” with links to Chester County’s current economic conditions, business practices, and industry support. From there, visitors can select one of the 21 categories to learn more about the specific industry’s action steps, as well as actions that have worked for other similar businesses. The 21 industry sectors identified on the Restore Chester County website range from agriculture, office settings, restaurants, personal care, and retail, to schools, nonprofits, religious organizations, childcare, and sports & recreation. “Updating the Restore Chester County website follows a full program of actions that Chester County has taken to help our businesses and organizations during this extremely difficult time,” said Chester County Commissioner Josh Maxwell. “Since the launch of the website in May, we have hosted free webinars, Q&A sessions, and importantly, provided much needed grant assistance for businesses, nonprofits, schools, childcare and first responders. And we will continue to provide practical support for as long as it takes.” Chester County Commissioner Michelle Kichline noted, “The survey and focus group work that we undertook to provide updates on Restore Chester County revealed some very innovative ways that our businesses have safely offered services during the pandemic. These business stories are shared throughout RestoreChesterCounty.org, and really highlight the ingenuity and resiliency of our business owners, our nonprofits and our whole community.” Businesses and organizations that would also like to share innovative ways that they have navigated COVID-19 are invited to submit their stories by emailing gro.ocsehc@ssenisub. Chester County businesses and residents are also encouraged to share their successful experiences, tips and insights on social media using the hashtag #RestoreChesCo. In addition to the ongoing review and update of Restore Chester County, Chester County’s COVID-19 Business Task Force is focusing on the long-term development of Chester County’s economic recovery strategy. “Chester County has always had a diverse and robust economy, and even after a spike in unemployment at the beginning of the pandemic, we have shown a resiliency through the summer, leading to a current unemployment rate that is the lowest in the region,” added Commissioner Moskowitz. “So alongside more immediate Restore Chester County plans, we are beginning the development of an economic recovery strategy to help reshape our economy in a post-COVID-19 world.” |
