COVID-19: Advice, best practices for reopening, rebounding, recovery Tampa Bay

As Florida businesses and public service organizations weigh the pros and cons of a gradual reopening in the midst of a global pandemic, words of wisdom and experience are being proffered from several areas of expertise. Learn more.

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General
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May 4, 2020
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Photo by Diane Egner – Construction projects scramble to keep supplies coming and workers busy during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Photo by Diane Egner – Construction continues on the Gandy Boulevard overpass designed to provide a quick exit for Pinellas County in the event of a hurricane.
Work on the Midtown development in West Tampa continues.
Work on the Midtown development in West Tampa continues.
Photo by Diane Egner – Customers line up for takeout food at La Segunda Bakery & Cafe in West Tampa.
Photo by Diane Egner – One of Tampa’s longtime favorites, La Segunda Bakery & Cafe, is open for business for pickup only.
Photo by Diane Egner – One of Tampa’s longtime favorites, La Segunda Bakery & Cafe, is open for business for pickup only.

As Florida businesses and public service organizations weigh the pros and cons of a gradual reopening in the midst of a global pandemic, words of wisdom and experience are being proffered from several areas of expertise.

Here are a few that deserve close attention.

Workplace

Tampa lawyer Karen Buesing, a legal expert in employment law, urges a thoughtful, well-organized approach for businesses as they reopen. Her advice goes to planning ahead and taking precautions with ongoing communications with employees and managers as key to success.

Read more here.

The Florida Chamber of Commerce is compiling daily updates and information on the latest government protocols and practices and how private enterprise can best comply. The Chamber also offers top tips and analysis from business leaders and online training webinars for small as well as large employers.

Read more here.

The Tampa Downtown Partnership is offering small grants and other assistance to small businesses in their efforts to reopen and recover.

Read more here. 

Apply for a small business grant for your downtown Tampa business.

Additional resources:

Healthcare

Hospitals, clinics, and other health providers are starting to re-open for non-COVID patients and elective surgeries as well as for those with the virus. 

Here is the latest information and top tips from:

Need food?

Lots of families are in need of food assistance as paychecks dwindle or go away entirely. Several organizations in the greater Tampa Bay community are available to help. All would appreciate donations if you are able. Here are a few:

How can I help?

A special #GivingTuesdayNOW day is May 5 around the globe. There are many ways you can help, starting with going to the website of your favorite charity or nonprofit, and making a donation.

Nonprofit organizations serving the arts, social services, children, the elderly, special needs, mental illness, etc. are all in need of your donations.

The Tampa Bay Resilience Fund is a new strategic collaboration of the Pinellas Community Foundation, Allegany Franciscan Ministries, Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg, and United Way Suncoast.

The Community Foundation of Tampa Bay compiled a list of community needs.

Individual organizations asking for help include:

And many more. As we suggested above, visit the website or your favorite nonprofit or charity. Or leave info on your preferred charity in the comments section below this story.

Schools and education

Colleges and schools are continuing with e-learning and virtual meetups for faculty and students. Many have virtual graduations planned.

Here are links to access the latest information:

Government

Decisions are being made daily regarding the reopening of public facilities such as libraries, beaches, parks, trails, and other traditional gathering places. 

Here are links to how you can find the latest information: 

Author
Diane Egner

Diane Egner is a community leader and award-winning journalist with more than four decades of experience reporting and writing about the Tampa Bay Area of Florida. She serves on the boards of the University of South Florida Zimmerman School of Advertising & Mass Communications Advisory Council, The Institute for Research in Art (Graphicstudio, the Contemporary Art Museum, and USF’s Public Art Program) Community Advisory Council, Sing Out and Read, and StageWorks Theatre Advisory Council. She also is a member of Leadership Florida and the Athena Society. A graduate of the University of Minnesota with a BA in journalism, she won the top statewide award for editorial writing from the Florida Society of Newspaper Editors while at The Tampa Tribune and received special recognition by the Tampa Bay Association of Black Journalists for creative work as Content Director at WUSF Public Media. Past accomplishments and community service include leadership positions with Tampa Tiger Bay Club, USF Women in Leadership & Philanthropy (WLP), Alpha House of Tampa Bay, Awesome Tampa Bay, Florida Kinship Center, AIA Tampa Bay, Powerstories, Arts Council of Hillsborough County, and the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce. Diane and her husband, Sandy Rief, live in Tampa.
 

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