A Fond du Lac County COVID-19 task force is hearing from business interests in it’s first two meetings as it gathers information to prepare local businesses for when a Safer at Home order is lifted. Envision Greater Fond du Lac president, Sadie Parafiniuk, says the group is comprised of 53 individuals, representing manufacturing, agriculture, healthcare, hospitality, retail, non-profit, city and county leaders, elected officials, schools and law enforcement. The highlight of the first meeting last Friday via a Zoom video call was a presentation by Wisconsin Manufacturer’s and Commerce and their Back to Business plan. Parafiniuk says the plan includes a computer tool that would allow businesses to log onto a website that would calculate the risk for a specific business when reopening depending on each individual county’s COVID-19 situation. “It puts it into a risk assessment. Then what pops out is a minimal, moderate, or substantial risk. Each of those has distinct guidelines,” Parafiniuk told WFDL news. Parafiniuk says regardless of when and how businesses start to re-open it felt good to begin the process of discussing how that may happen. “We will reopen and we can’t keep thinking about just today we have to look toward our future and how we can support businesses,” Parafiniuk said. Fond du Lac County Public Health Officer Kim Mueller is on the panel. Mueller says she wants to know what the end goal of the task force is. The Task Force will hear from a representative of the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation at their second meeting on Friday.
