WAUSAU, WI (WSAU) -- The Greater Wausau Chamber of Commerce has thrown their support behind the Wisconsin Manufacturing and Commerce's recently released Back to Business plan to Save Lives and Livelihoods.
The plan, discussed at length on Thursday by business leaders throughout the state in Madison, was released as an alternative to Governor Evers' Badger Bounce Back plan.
In a release on Thursday, Chamber CEO Dave Eckmann said "What we have learned and heard from many of our members is that the BBB proposal, while well intended, does not allow for flexibility for different regions of the state to open their economy sooner, even though the data from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (WDHS) demonstrates lower levels of infection and hospitalizations as compared to larger metropolitan communities such as Milwaukee and Madison.
"In Wisconsin, we have diverse economies from north to south and our geographic concentration of population is largely rural outside of Milwaukee and Madison. The extended phase of the BBB plan, which is tied to the performance of dense population centers, will take much longer to restore our statewide economy," he added.
The Back to Business plan classifies businesses into three different risk levels and uses data such as a county's rate of infection from Coronavirus, the capacity of the region's healthcare system, and the county's population density to determine when they could reopen and what level of service they could provide.
Under the Pack to Business plan, businesses could begin reopening as soon as May 4th.
"Being an advocate for business and community, the Greater Wausau Chamber of Commerce, with hundreds of businesses and many chambers of commerce throughout the state, is advocating for the adoption of the Back To Business Plan by the State of Wisconsin. This common-sense, data-driven approach, will allow regions and counties to breathe life into business and economies sooner, than later. If you would like to express your position to the Back To Business Plan and convey your message to the Governor and State Legislature you may do so by completing this form," added Eckmann.