Planning for What’s Next

One of the most important things the Lincoln Chamber continues to do on behalf of our membership is to provide timely, accurate, and useful information regarding coronavirus and COVID-19. With an abundance of information impacting our members in different capacities, our goal is to continue connecting businesses with the information and resources needed to navigate these challenging times.

We have an extensive amount of these resources on our website at lcoc.com, which is constantly updated. Things continue to change at a rapid pace with new legislation, programs, and measures being put in place that can greatly affect businesses and the community. It is our job to communicate those changes and stay on top of the ever-changing situation.

It has been amazing to see how our community has banded together to make contributions wherever necessary. As our skilled medical professionals continue their brave work to keep our community healthy, various organizations and individuals alike have contributed to their cause by donating masks and other materials.

We are not only seeing the community respond to the call for materials for our hospitals—we are truly witnessing ingenuity and creativity to answer our challenges. As we have likely all experienced in some capacity with our own use of technology, telehealth continues to help our medical professionals as well during this time.

While this has been a time of adaptation, there will be additional adjustments in the days and weeks ahead as we start to think about how our economy and day-to-day life will look in the near and long-term future.

The Lincoln Chamber continues to work closely with the Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department and the City of Lincoln to communicate the latest health guidelines and recommendations to our community. We will continue to adhere to that guidance and will only start to resume previous operations when it is deemed healthy and advisable to do so.

While we don’t know an exact date for a so-called “return to normal,” the time to plan is now. The Lincoln Chamber, Greater Omaha Chamber, Nebraska Chamber of Commerce & Industry, and other peer chambers remain connected in discussions regarding what a return to business looks like for our members and the community at large.

It is vital that businesses begin to prepare for new guidelines, processes, and requirements. How will your business be able to adapt to new health screening procedures? What about Personal Protective Equipment for employees and customers? How will your office adapt to potential changes regarding transportation and childcare upon returning to work?

The above questions are just scratching the surface of the evaluation we must now do as we attempt to navigate what’s next.

This also means proactively planning for another potential shutdown. What was the biggest challenge for your business? How were workflows affected? Now is a great time to take stock of what’s happened and to look at ways to prepare for future disruptions, no matter their length.

We extend our gratitude and applaud those who help make our community healthy and strong, especially during such challenging times. Thank you for continuing to support one another!

The Chamber’s mission is to improve the lives of Lincoln residents by providing increased economic opportunity and can only be accomplished together. For more information on the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce, (www.lcoc.com) please contact Jaime Henning at jaimehenning@lcoc.com.