Area chambers advise businesses to take precautions during surge in COVID

The Advocacy Coalition of Rochester Area Chambers (ACRAC) is encouraging its member businesses and other organizations to take precautions during an upswing in COVID-19 cases in the Finger Lakes Region.

“ACRAC is not interested in taking political sides on this issue but rather focusing on the health and well-being of our region. We believe that each of us has a role to play in helping to tackle the pandemic,” ACRAC chamber executives said in a statement Wednesday. “To avoid further business interruptions, ACRAC is asking our collective members and the community at large to observe social distancing, wear masks, disinfect regularly and employ good hand hygiene. Employers should set good examples for their employees, and employees should set good examples for customers.”

Recovering from the impact of the virus continues to be a struggle, ACRAC acknowledged in the statement.

“We will continue working with our Congressional Delegation to quickly pass an additional stimulus package that includes support for small business owners. So too will we continue to support efforts by state leaders to increase infrastructure for COVID-19 testing, speed up turnaround time for results and improve contact tracing capabilities in an effort to efficiently curb the spread of COVID-19,” the group said.

Formed in 2019, ACRAC is a group of chamber executives from throughout the Finger Lakes region committed to helping its members grow and promoting the region through teamwork and collaborative advocacy. The coalition includes chambers of commerce from Chemung and Wyoming counties, as well as the Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce, Irondequoit Chamber of Commerce, Pittsford Chamber of Commerce, Tompkins Chamber, Victor Chamber of Commerce and Penfield Business Chamber.

“We commend the work of Gov. Cuomo and his administration in working to keep infection rates among the lowest in the country and stand ready to assist in any way that we can,” the coalition said. “Business owners are rightly concerned about the increase in COVID-19 and the effects that another shut down will have on them, especially during the profitable holiday shopping season. Business owners must take every precaution to keep shoppers safe and remain open.”

ACRAC officials said residents can support their local businesses, economies and communities by shopping locally and by following the recommendations set forth by the CDC, New York State and local county health departments.

“Each of us must ask ourselves if we will be part of the solution, or part of the problem,” the chambers said in their guidance.

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