Halter emphasizes buy local, as Gov. Parson makes plans to reopen Missouri on May 4

COVID-19 has changed our lives in ways we didn’t think was possible and it could be a while before we return to anything remotely resembling normal.
Many area establishments, on their own, changed the way they do business early in the pandemic to help flatten the curve of positive cases. When Gov. Mike Parson issued the state Stay-at-Home order, some businesses were forced to close.
The financial ramifications from that order have been devastating to many. But there appears to be some light at the end of the tunnel. Though no one knows for sure how quickly everyone will see the light.
Gov. Parson announced Wednesday that “almost every business in the state of Missouri” will be allowed to reopen May 4.
“We’re working on the policies and guidelines for that. But I’ll tell you almost every business in the state of Missouri will be allowed to open their doors (on May 4),” Gov. Parson said at his daily press conference Wednesday.
“People will go back to work. There will be some guidelines we’ll have with that, but the majority of them will reopen.”
The governor, though, stressed the importance of social distancing during the transition.
“I think there will be guidelines (to) how many people can be in a group. … Social distancing is going to be important,” Gov. Parson said. “That’s going to be a key role to how we move forward. I think it’s important to maintain social distancing for some time.
“There will be guidelines we will give to the cities and counties across the state for state policies. It will be for people to get out again.”
Gov. Parson’s words were music to Steve Halter. The Greater Poplar Bluff Area Chamber of Commerce president has been on the front lines helping area businesses during this crisis.
It’s been a tough and frustrating process, especially for restaurants and bars.
“They seem to have been the industry that the state and federal government have singled out and restricted the most. Many of the restaurants reported an 80% decline in business immediately after they were told they could not serve customers inside or outside their business,” Halter explained.
“They are also extremely confused because they see people not obeying social distancing in retail and grocery stores, yet they cannot eat in a restaurant while maintaining social distancing.
“Other industries that have been hit very hard are the barbers and hair salons.”
Halter, who has been with the Chamber for over 12 years, said he’s heard from some business owners who have come forward recently and mentioned that the virus isn’t affecting as many people as projected.
“The concern is that they know their customers very well and that the decision should be up to the owner and the customer, especially if neither of them are sick nor showing any COVID-19 symptoms,” Halter shared.
“Any travel-related industry (hotels, travel agents, etc.) is very much struggling as a result of the Stay-at-Home order. People are not traveling as much because so much is closed; even some of the outdoor state and national parks in our region.
“Obviously, the Rodgers Theatre, Black River Coliseum, the Camp, etc. are missing sales from not being able to have events.”
Halter added that even medical and dental facilities and trucking companies have been negatively impacted.
“I apologize to those industries I have failed to mention. It is extremely important for all our businesses to take the Chamber’s short Facebook survey so we can get more data on the total damage to our businesses.”
There have been reports that some small businesses weren’t able to get the Small Business Administration Payroll Protection Plan loans because the money ran out. Halter credits local banks for making sure that was the exception rather than the rule for area businesses.
“I am sure there are some (who didn’t get the loan because money ran out), but for the most part our businesses listened to the Chamber’s plea to jump on SBA funding quickly,” Halter said.
“Also, we have some dynamite local banks and accounting firms who were able to mobilize quickly and worked tirelessly to take care of our businesses.
“I know, justifiably so, our community has shown an appreciation for our medical personnel and first responders. But our bankers and accountants have been heroes to our small businesses.”
Halter said he’s heard from some businesses that shared they were going to reopen May 4 no matter what the state said.
“Also, many businesses have responded to our survey that they have 30 days’ worth of funding left,” Halter noted. “The bottom line is we cannot treat Poplar Bluff or Southeast Missouri like we treat other urban areas in our state and country.”
Halter added that most business owners he’s spoken with understand why the Stay-at-Home was put in place, but they believe it went too far.
“Many of them are also reluctant to say anything publicly because of the social shaming they may get as a result of doing so. I personally think our governor waited as long as he could to declare a Stay-at-Home order, and then ordered one of the least restrictive Stay-at-Home orders possible,” Halter said.
“Look, this is a no-win situation for our governors and our president. Also, I understand where the medical professionals stand on this and respect their opinion, but I also know that there is more to the equation than just the virus itself. As President Trump said, ‘A prolonged lockdown combined with a forced economic depression would inflict an immense and wide-ranging toll on public health. This could lead to a sharp rise in drug abuse, alcohol abuse, suicide and heart disease.’
“The most important thing now is to get us open on May 4 and to not allow future viruses to close our businesses down. State and federal governments need to devise a plan and get funding approved to have the medical supplies and testing available for future pandemics.”
Halter shared a quote from the United Nations, “The economic hardship experienced by families as a result of the global economic downturn could result in hundreds of thousands of additional child deaths in 2020, reversing the last two to three years of progress in reducing infant mortality within a single year.”
The Chamber is conducting a survey of its members concerning the shutdown, and one of the questions is how much revenue has been lost as a result of the shutdown.
As of Thursday, 89 members had responded and 38 shared a lost revenue total. That total was $7 million. The remaining 51 businesses didn’t report a dollar amount but said they’d lost 50% in revenue.
“It’s safe to say we are in the tens of millions (of) lost revenue, just from the businesses who have taken the time to fill out the survey,” Halter said.
Halter, though, is confident area businesses will recover.
“I think several things have us poised to recover quicker than most communities. First and foremost, our citizens and businesses have a history of being resilient. It is our culture; we are fighters. We have made it through tornadoes, ice storms, floods, etc.,” Halter said. “Also, our city and county leaders have made the right decisions throughout this pandemic. They have not placed more restrictive measures on our businesses and citizens. Surrounding cities and counties have done so, but (Poplar Bluff city manager) Mark Massingham and the city council, (Butler County commission members) Vince Lampe, Butch Anderson and Dennis Legrand, and (Butler County Health Department Administrator) Emily Goodin have stood strong and only enforced what the state and federal government has mandated. (Butler County Emergency Management director) Robbie Myers has provided excellent leadership throughout this crisis.”
Halter believes another shutdown of businesses because of another outbreak of COVID-19 in the fall or winter would be devastating.
“The damage that has already been done is crippling, but a second round would be devastating,” Halter said. “Many of the predictions have been grossly inaccurate, so hopefully this talk will cease.”
If asked, Halter will share his honest opinion about the entire COVID-19 crisis and how the government and society has reacted.
“This is my opinion, but I believe we have seen much worse things than the actual virus, but yes, our reaction as a society has caused an unnecessary crisis that none of us could have ever imagined. I hope and pray that I never have to see anything like this again in my lifetime,” Halter said. “We must take the necessary steps as a country and world to never allow a virus to completely shut down our lives and our freedom.
“It is unfathomable to me to think that driving through a county, sitting in your car for an outdoor Easter worship service, walking through a state or federal park, or sitting on an outdoor patio to have dinner is putting anyone at harm right now.”
Halter also shared some statistics to emphasize his beliefs.
“In an area like ours where only .0005 of our county’s population (.0004 of our seven-county region’s population) has tested positive for the virus, it seems unfair to me how much this has negatively impacted our business community and disrupted all of our lives,” Halter said.
“I have heard this timeframe called ‘the Great Pause.’ It is time to hit the play button on May 4, especially for our region.
“If people are still afraid to come out of their house, I totally respect that, but for those of us who are not afraid let us make that decision. If we do not start somewhere, we will never get back to some type of normalcy.”
When that does happen, Halter has another message to share.
“I cannot emphasize enough that our residents need to spend money locally to help our small businesses. This may be one of the most important things people can do to help our local economy recover.”
Chris is publisher of the Daily American Republic. He can be reached at cpruett@darnews.com .