Ozaukee County Guide

The global travel industry has been in turmoil since the outbreak of the novel coron- avirus COVID-19 in Decem- ber 2019. Many would-be travelers, including business travelers and vacationers, canceled previously planned trips or delayed future travel plans in the hopes of reduc- ing their risk of catching a virus that CNN estimated had claimed more than 4,000 lives across the globe between December 2019 and mid-March 2020. According to estimates from the Global Business Travel Association, business travel revenue loss totaled $820 billion across the globe through the first week of March 2020. The International Air Transport Association estimated that global airlines stood to lose $113 billion in sales if the coronavirus continued to spread, a decline in sales that the industry has not experienced since the global financial crisis of 2008. That loss in revenue has led many airlines and cruise lines to decrease prices in an effort to entice more people to trav- el. However, the Centers for Disease Control and Preven- tion note that travel could be dangerous, particularly for people with underlying health conditions who intend to take cruises. As of March 2020, the CDC was recommending that travel- ers who fit that criteria defer all cruise ship travel. Cruis- es place vast numbers of people in frequent and close contact with each other, con- ditions that can promote the spread of respiratory virus- es like COVID-19. The CDC notes that, due to the way air is circulated and filtered on airplanes, most viruses and other germs do not easily spread on airplanes. Howev- er, those who want to err on the side of caution should discuss travel with their physicians, including whether or not it's beneficial to delay unnecessary travel plans until the threat of COVID-19 is minimized. OZAUKEE COUNTY GUIDE • MARCH 25, 2020 • 3 GMTODAY.COM Appliances • Furniture • Electronics Automobiles • Remodeling • Construction Commercial • Garage & Basement WE HAUL JUNK (262) 617-1602 wehauljunk.net LOCALLY OWNED & OPERATED Our Business is Always Picking Up! Ready for a Change? Itching to get at those Home & Garden projects you've been dreaming about? Check out our 2020 Spring Home & Garden publication for home and garden project tips to help save you time and money! Look for the special Spring Home & Garden section inside the April 17th Daily News, April 19th Washington County Post, April 21st News Graphic and April 22nd Ozaukee County Guide. 263173013 ANNA CHANG-YEN Tracy Schultz, owner of Ceramics for You in Gurnee, Illinois, provides drive-up service for customers to purchase ceramics kits that can be painted at home and dropped back off at the pottery studio later to be fired. It's one way local businesses are getting creative and meeting their customers' needs. The Institute for Local Self-Reliance offers the following 10 benefits for shoppers and their communities when they shop locally owned businesses: 1. Local character and prosperity: In an increasingly homogenized world, com- munities that preserve their one-of-a-kind businesses and distinctive character have an economic advantage. 2. Community well-being: Locally owned businesses build strong communi- ties by sustaining vibrant town centers, linking neighbors in a web of economic and social relationships, and contributing to local causes. 3. Local decision-making: Local owner- ship ensures that important decisions are made locally by people who live in the community and who will feel the impacts of those decisions. 4. Keeping dollars in the local economy: Compared to chain stores, locally owned businesses recycle a much larger share of their revenue back into the local econo- my, enriching the whole community. 5. Job and wages: Locally owned busi- nesses create more jobs locally and, in some sectors, provide better wages and benefits than chains do. 6. Entrepreneurship: Entrepreneurship fuels America's economic innovation and prosperity, and serves as a key means for families to move out of low-wage jobs and into the middle class. 7. Public benefits and costs: Local stores in town centers require compara- tively little infrastructure and make more efficient use of public services relative to big box stores and strip shopping malls. 8. Environmental sustainability: Local stores help to sustain vibrant, compact, walkable town centers-which in turn are essential to reducing sprawl, automobile use, habitat loss, and air and water pol- lution. 9. Competition: A marketplace of tens of thousands of small businesses is the best way to ensure innovation and low prices over the long-term. 10. Product diversity: A multitude of small businesses, each selecting prod- ucts based, not on a national sales plan, but on their own interests and the needs of their local customers, guarantees a much broader range of product choices. Why Shop Local? Supporting Local Businesses Even during a pandemic, there are ways to support the many small businesses in your community that might be struggling. USE DELIVERY SERVICES Many businesses offer curb- side or home delivery options. This has been a growing trend in recent years because of online shopping, but the pan- demic has made these options seem less like a luxury and more like a community ser- vice. If a restaurant or retailer offers some kind of delivery service, take them up on it. You'll be able to do your shop- ping or enjoy a delicious meal without the public health risk of gathering in large groups. BUY GIFT CARDS Even if a business temporar- ily shuts its doors, you might still be able to help them out by buying gift cards for future spending. See which of your favorite local businesses offer gift cards or gift certificates, either online or in person. If you have the means, buy a gift card now that you can enjoy later. You can either use it yourself or give it as a gift for birthdays or holidays. Local businesses could use the sup- port right now. GET INVOLVED Helping businesses recover from the temporary pandemic shutdown — a sacrifice they're making to protect public health — will likely require government assistance. Fortunately, America has a democratic foundation. That means you can push for the best local, state and federal help that makes sense for small businesses in your com- munity. Attend city council meet- ings. Write your legislators. Make your voice heard, because supporting the best government response to this pandemic — whatever that looks like to you — is a power- ful way to help the country recover. BE POLITE Where businesses are open, be polite and thankful to the people working there. Retail workers are under stress to restock shelves and keep cus- tomers calm amid an unusual uptick in demand for grocer- ies, medical supplies and other essentials. If the shelves are empty, that's the fault of cus- tomers doing panic buying, not the store's workers. Be part of the solution by not purchas- ing more than you need. OFFER TO HELP Look for ways to help your friends and neighbors who are temporarily out of work. That applies to the basics, like mak- ing sure they have food and supplies, to helping them find ways to bridge the income gap until their jobs come back. For people who are working extra hours during the pan- demic — especially health care workers — look for ways to ease their burden. You might be able to offer free child care until schools reopen, for exam- ple. SPEND BIG LATER Make it a point to support local businesses in a big way as soon as it's safe to do so. Businesses still have utility bills, rent, loans and payroll expenses during the pandemic shutdown. Their resources will be stretched thin. You can help them survive and thrive for the long term by being ready and willing to do business with them again as soon as they reopen. With your help, local busi- nesses will be back up and running — and serving as the backbone of your community — as soon as possible. Paint-at-home ceramics from Ceramics for You in Gurnee, Illinois. As many American businesses shut down or scale back their operations to prevent spreading the coronavirus, you may be wondering what you can do to help. Travel and COVID-19

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