As AMERICA opens up again, tensions are flaring about things as simple as wearing a mask to protect others and themselves. Is your radio station doing all it can to keep your audience up to … more

On Wednesday, Gov. Kim Reynolds removed some restrictions on businesses in the 22 counties that have been seeing higher numbers of Iowans affected by COVID-19, including Linn and Johnson counties....

Some Eastern Iowans are ready to go camping. With Gov. Kim Reynolds allowing campgrounds across the state to open Friday, some people wasted little time in heading outdoors. “They’re...

On Wednesday, Gov. Kim Reynolds removed some restrictions on businesses in the 22 counties that have been seeing higher numbers of Iowans affected by COVID-19, including Linn and Johnson counties.

Now those organizations have to make decisions — on bringing back employees, services to provide and how much access to allow for customers.

And as those businesses reopen — some after more than two months — crucial steps likely will include ongoing communication with employees and customers and a well-thought-out restart plan.

The Gazette spoke with business leaders about the challenges faced by business owners as they consider how and when to open their doors.

• David Drewelow of ActionCoach Heartland in Cedar Rapids is a consultant with 19 years of business coaching experience.

• David Hensley, director of the University of Iowa’s John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center, has expertise in small business management during a crisis.

• Josh Seamans is vice president of Cushman and Wakefield, a global commercial real estate adviser that operates offices in more than 60 countries including China.

• Steve Shriver is a Cedar Rapids entrepreneur who operates and/or helped found four diverse enterprises, including Eco Lips and Brewhemia.

Their responses here have been condensed from lengthy individual interviews.

How important is communication and having a well-prepared plan for resumption of business?

Shriver: The one thing that has been imperative throughout this whole process is communication with employees, customers and the public. I also would recommend writing as detailed a business resumption plan as possible.

One of the main reasons is to fully understand what you are doing as this is a brand-new challenge that none of us has faced.

Drewelow: You really need to be communicating now, more than ever, with your employees, customers, vendors and suppliers. What does your plan for the next 20 to 30 days look like? What are things that you can be doing right now to get ready?

Hensley: I think it is critically important to have a reopening plan because most businesses are not going to be at full strength right away. What might their revenue forecasts look like? How can they keep their costs down as their business starts to rebound before it gets back to full capacity?

Seamans: Your plan should include a checklist of reopening steps appropriate to your type of business. Retail will have different items than distribution or industrial businesses.

You need to communicate your plan to employees, customers, landlords and lenders.

How much will fear play a role in the resumption of business?

Shriver: Everyone has a different idea of the risks involved, such as using a handle to open a door or interacting with a person — the little things that we are used to doing.

When you look at the risk versus reward of doing that, some people will be willing to go into a store and others will stay home. Some employees don’t want to come back to work yet and some people are itching to get back. You have everything in between.

Drewelow: The fear factor is huge. For the small business owner, we try to channel that fear into a focus on being highly aware of all the possibilities to mitigate concerns.

If you own a restaurant, can you post the menu online or use disposable menus? That way, a customer doesn’t have to touch something that might have been handled by someone else.

Appropriate spacing of customers within a restaurant also will help alleviate some of the fear.

Hensley: You need to communicate what steps you are taking to protect the health and safety of your employees and your customers. If you will be requiring the use of personal protective equipment like face masks, are you going to make them available?

Will limiting the number of people entering a business be difficult?

Shriver: There are not a lot of people who want to gather in masses right now. It seems like as businesses start to reopen, it will be more like a trickle.

It will be just like turning on a water spigot, with the flow of customers gradually increasing.

Hensley: I think we will see a lot more customers buying, rather than just shopping. They are going to buy the items they came for and then leave.

If businesses have more vulnerable customers, I would recommend establishing separate early morning times like many of the grocery stores have done to provide a safer environment.

Many companies have adopted using digital conferencing platforms for meetings. Will we see that trend continue?

Seamans: I think Zoom will be used for more internal meetings, so there is no need for someone to fly from, say, San Francisco to New York. But in terms of sales, it does not replicate that face-to-face interaction.

We have done work with clients that live several hours away and we have to come in for a city council meeting for a project that we are working on. That’s a three-hour drive in for a one- or two-hour council meeting and another three-hour drive back — basically an eight-hour day. If we can Zoom in and answer any questions, that’s a lot more efficient at less cost.

What should a small-business owner consider when determining how many employees to recall?

Shriver: We will be able to bring some people back to work and generate some revenue, but not in a huge way. Anybody who can work from home should continue working from home for as long as they possibly can.

We should not be rushing to get those people back. There is no incentive.

Hensley: Owners are going to be making hard decisions. Do I bring back half of my team at full time or do I bring everyone back at reduced hours? What are those implications going to be?

In some cases, other industries have been hiring and some may be making more money. Businesses may have to pay more to attract that talent back.

Restaurants have been forced to change their business model from on-premise dining to carryout and delivery. Should all owners take this opportunity to examine and update their business model?

Shriver: We took two businesses — SOKO Outfitters, a retail store, and Brewhemia, a restaurant — and put them rapidly online within a month. When we come out of this, I think we will be stronger because we will have that infrastructure in place in addition to the old school face to face traffic that we used to have.

Hensley: I think this is definitely the time to look at your business model to determine what is appropriate given the economic situation that we have. That is not just going to be critical for reopening, but over the next six months to a year as long as we are dealing with the virus.

Some business owners will see that their customers have lost their jobs or seen their income drop dramatically. They are going to be changing their patterns of consumption based on necessities.

Drewelow: Some of my clients believe that are looking their competitors and realize that some may not reopen. They are looking at whether they can merge with them or somehow salvage parts of that business.

Some business owners have realized that the way they deliver products or services will have to change. Many of my older clients have been dragged into using modern technology.

Some Eastern Iowans are ready to go camping.

With Gov. Kim Reynolds allowing campgrounds across the state to open Friday, some people wasted little time in heading outdoors.

“They’re already starting to fill up,” said Ryan Schlader of Linn County Conservation. “By about 7 this morning, we had a dozen at Squaw Creek Park. People were coming in bright and early to camp. We’re not surprised.”

Schlader said Linn County Conservation tried to have the campgrounds open at the county’s Squaw Creek, Morgan Creek and Pinicon Ridge parks at 5 a.m. Friday. He expected all of them would be busy.

“I think people were ready to go,” he said.

Lake Macbride State Park in Johnson County didn’t see quite as much of a rush for campsites, park manager Ron Puettmann reported Friday morning, saying he’d had six walk-ins for the park’s 42 campsites.

Camping this weekend will be done on a first-come, first-served basis. Sites won’t be available for reservations until next week, though online reservations can be made now, Puettmann said.

“I’m quite sure people were waiting anxiously to get on,” he said.

While Reynolds’ campground announcement came Wednesday, Schlader and Puettmann said they had no issues having the campgrounds ready for Friday.

Schlader said county staff have been in touch with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources and other county conservation boards to discuss protocols for reopening to ensure a safe experience for campers and employers.

“We anticipated at some point the order would be lifted,” Schlader said. “We were anticipating maybe May 15. The campgrounds were in good shape and ready to go.”

For now, camping comes with some limitations:

• Campers can camp only in a self-contained unit with a functioning restroom, such as a recreational vehicle.

• Shower houses with restrooms will remain closed for the time being.

• Campsites are limited to six people unless they are from the same household.

• No visitors are allowed at the campsites.

Puettmann said staffers and a DNR officer will be on hand to make sure guidelines are followed, but he didn’t anticipate enforcement would be an issue.

“For the most part, we’re going to allow people to police themselves,” he said.

It’s hard to gauge demand, Schlader said.

The weather isn’t yet deal for camping, and some people might not be ready to camp, given the continuing coronavirus.

“There is a lot of uncertainty,” he said. “Do people feel like they need to get out and enjoy a camping experience within their own campsite, or do people still feel under the weather and think it’s not a good idea for my family to go right now? ... We just want this to be an option for people.”

Comments: (319) 339-3155; lee.hermiston@thegazette.com

ON INLANDER.COM WORLD: Roughly two weeks after Canada's deadliest mass shooting, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau introduced an immediate ban on what he called “military-style assault weapons.”…

Northern Quest Resort & Casino is set to reopen Tuesday, albeit with strict social-distancing and other safety protocols in place, becoming the second regional casino to reopen after closures caused by the coronavirus. Resort officials expect a crowd due to pent-up interest in the community for getting out of the house (not to mention Cinco de Mayo).…

ON INLANDER.COM NATION: For workers, there's no sign of what "normal is going to look like" in the pandemic economy.…

Yesterday, Spokane Mayor Nadine Woodward and other local leaders urged Gov. Jay Inslee to allow Spokane County to open on a different schedule than the rest of the state.  Inslee, however, wouldn't budge.…

News you don't want to miss for April 8:

1. Schools in Alameda County, and five other Bay Area counties, will not re-open this academic year, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.…

News you don't want to miss for May 4:

1. Businesses such as bookstores, florists, clothing retailers, among others, can begin to reopen on Friday, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced, according to the Associated Press.…

A TURKISH restaurant in Southampton, which launched in a blaze of glory last year winning Best Middle Eastern Restaurant in the UK, is crowd funding to reopen following the coronavirus crisis.

IT'S a Southampton institution and it's back in business from next week.

North Carolina’s coastal counties draw millions of visitors each year with their scenic shorelines and festive events. Tourism is the primary economic driver in beach communities like Corolla, in Currituck County, but the coronavirus will prevent hotels, restaurants, vacation rentals and events from operating at full capacity this summer.

Ohio’s retail businesses that were shut down as non-essential are being allowed to open Tuesday. And by the end of next week, many restaurants, bars and hair salons will also reopen.

Non-essential businesses that were closed during the past month due to COVID-19 are now starting to reopen. But as Statehouse correspondent Jo Ingles reports, some worry that’s happening too quickly without proper safeguards.

Primary schools in France are reopening next week. There will, of course, be social distancing measures in place. Class sizes will be limited to 15 and no games at recess. It's a gradual three-week process beginning with preschoolers. The government says the reopening is voluntary and students won't be forced to return. Still, many parents and administrators are against the plan. More than 300 mayors in the Paris region signed an open letter to President Macron, urging a delay in reopening and saying the timeline is " untenable and unrealistic ." They said schools needed more time to implement the required sanitary measures. Jean-Michel Blanquer, France's minister of education, talked with Mary Louise Kelly on All Things Considered about bringing students back to class for the first time since mid-March. Here are selected excerpts: Do you think they will come? Do you think you will have 15 students in classrooms come next week? Yes, because we are asking the parents during the last

A meat-packing plant in Waterloo, Iowa, where a coronavirus outbreak exploded a few weeks ago, resumed operations on Thursday after a two-week closure. The reopening of Tyson Foods' largest U.S. pork plant came the same day that health officials in Black Hawk County, where the plant is located, announced that 1,031 of the plant's estimated 2,800 employees have tested positive for the virus. That's higher than previous estimates by state officials. Tony Thompson, sheriff of Black Hawk County, was among the public officials who called for the Waterloo facility to shut down temporarily. His call to close the plant came after he first toured the facility on April 10. Thompson says that when he toured the plant then, he "fully expected" to see barriers, masks and other personal protective equipment in place. That wasn't the case. "What I saw when we went into that plant was an absolute free-for-all," he says. "Some people were wearing bandannas. Some people were wearing surgical masks. ....

President Trump wants states to begin relaxing stay-at-home orders and reopen businesses after the spread of the coronavirus pummeled the global economy and killed millions of jobs. The White House coronavirus task force released guidelines on April 16 to encourage state governors to adopt a phased approach to lifting restrictions across the country. Some states have moved ahead without meeting the criteria . The task force rejected a set of additional detailed draft recommendations for schools, restaurants, churches and mass transit systems from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that it considered " overly prescriptive ." A number of states have already begun to lift restrictions, allowing for businesses including hair salons, diners and tattoo parlors to once again begin accepting customers. Health experts have warned that reopening too quickly could result in a potential rebound in cases. States are supposed to wait to begin lifting any restrictions until they have a 14

President Trump wants states to begin relaxing stay-at-home orders and reopen businesses after the spread of the coronavirus pummeled the global economy and killed millions of jobs. The White House coronavirus task force released guidelines on April 16 to encourage state governors to adopt a phased approach to lifting restrictions across the country. Some states have moved ahead without meeting the criteria . The task force rejected a set of additional detailed draft recommendations for schools, restaurants, churches and mass transit systems from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that it considered " overly prescriptive ." A number of states have already begun to lift restrictions, allowing for businesses including hair salons, diners and tattoo parlors to once again begin accepting customers. Health experts have warned that reopening too quickly could result in a potential rebound in cases. States are supposed to wait to begin lifting any restrictions until they have a 14

Governor Gretchen Whitmer has extended her stay-at-home order through the end of May, while introducing a multi-step plan to get Michigan's economy going again. 12th District Representative Debbie Dingell expressed her optimism to WEMU for a safe start to the process while calling for more bi-partisan efforts to support those in need.

The latest James Bond film starring Daniel Craig has been pushed back from its Mar 16 release to November due to the coronavirus crisis, but might get further delay.

Disney Springs vice president Matt Simon posted Thursday on the official Disney Parks Blog that the area will reopen May 20 with enhanced safety measures to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

The company said it would announce the locations of the restaurants next week, with plans to open them on May 13.

Two brush fires in Apache Junction are believed to be human-caused.

You might be asking when it will be safe to use a public pool or water slide. Here's what an expert said about coronavirus transmission in water.

The letter by the prosecutor marked the second time businesses in town were contacted by authorities for being in violation of Gov. Ducey's order.

Arizona Republic reporters are fanning out across the Valley to document how shoppers and shop owners are responding to the lifting of restrictions.

Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey's stay-at-home order is ending Friday as salons open on Friday and restaurants open on Monday.

A majority of IKEA stores are or have been temporarily closed in recent months. A few stores in Germany and Israel, as well as the one in Wuhan, the city in China where the coronavirus was first discovered, reopened this week.

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper says the state's stay-at-home order from COVID-19 will remain in place for at least another two weeks because current data doesn't support loosening restrictions that began in mid-March. The Democratic governor said this and other prohibitions on dine-in restaurant services and mass assemblies has now been extended until May 8. The stay-at-home order was supposed to expired next week. Cooper also unveiled a three-phase plan for reopening based on expanded tracing and testing and declining case growth. Republican governors in Tennesse, South Carolina and Georgia this week announced they would ease restrictions so that some nonessential businesses could open.

Carteret County officials on Monday reopened all county-maintained beach access points, including Salter Path, Radio Island and Harkers Island beach accesses. A news release from the Carteret County Department of Human Services said those who visit the beach should continue to practice social distancing and avoid mass gatherings to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

On Tuesday, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper signed Executive Order No. 138 that implements phase one of easing restrictions. The order takes effect Friday, May 8th at 5pm. The governor said the modification to the statewide stay at home order will allow some businesses to reopen. “Retail stores will now be allowed to increase to 50% capacity as long as they can implement social distancing and frequent cleaning,” said Cooper. “The order allows people to leave home to visit any business that is open and it encourages parks and trails to reopen.” However, businesses like salons, barbers, theaters, gyms, and bars will remain closed for phase one. The governor said church services can resume as long as they are held outdoors and social distancing measures are practiced. “COVID-19 is still a serious threat to our state, and Phase 1 is designed to be a limited easing of restrictions that can boost parts of our economy while keeping important safety rules in place,” said Cooper.

Three counties on North Carolina's tourist-reliant Outer Banks have announced plans to lift coronavirus-related visitor restrictions. Officials in Currituck, Dare and Hyde counties released a joint statement on Wednesday announcing restrictions on entry for visitors will be lifted at noon on Saturday, May 16. According to the statement, reopening to visitors on that date will allow local businesses, attractions, and accommodation providers time to follow the new business operating requirements put in place by Gov. Roy Cooper's executive order. Officials are also reminding potential visitors to observe restrictions such as social distancing because the pandemic is not over.

As Governor Roy Cooper’s order to ease restrictions takes effect later this week, 29 state parks will reopen to the public on Saturday, May 9th. That includes Fort Macon, which is one of the most visited state parks each year. “Our main goal is to give people access to the park without it getting too crowded,” said Katie Hall, the Public Information Officer for the North Carolina Division of Parks and Recreation. Fort Macon State Park closed almost seven weeks ago because of the COVID-19 pandemic. On Saturday, beach areas, trails, and restrooms will reopen to the public. However, the visitors center and the exhibit will remain closed. Hall said park rangers are expecting a record number of visitors this weekend, surpassing park visitation numbers during the Memorial Day, Labor Day, and Independence Day holidays. “We’re not really opening the park for people to hang out. The idea is to get to the park, get some fresh air, get some exercise, run on the beach, whatever you like to do, and

Apple reopened 38 Apple stores which were temporarily closed after the epidemic, state-run China Daily reported. Only four stores remain closed.

The tech giant closed all retail stores in the country from February 1 based on the advice from leading health experts. It aimed to reopen stores on February 9 but that date ended up being extended. The closure of Apple's retail stores in China, along with supply issues, has affected iPhone sales in the country.

"All standalone (single) shops, neighborhood (colony) shops and shops in residential complexes are permitted to remain open in urban areas, without any distinction of essential and non-essential," the ministry of home affairs said in a notification on Friday.

"We have to accept coronavirus as part of life. If we don't open factories, there will be economic crisis," said Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association vice president Mohammad Hatem.

H&M, the world's second-biggest fashion retailer, said local currency sales had tumbled 57% in the March 1-May 6 period, while online sales grew almost a third.

President Trump wants states to begin relaxing stay-at-home orders and reopen businesses after the spread of the coronavirus pummeled the global economy and killed millions of jobs. The White House coronavirus task force released guidelines on April 16 to encourage state governors to adopt a phased approach to lifting restrictions across the country. Some states have moved ahead without meeting the criteria . The task force rejected a set of additional detailed draft recommendations for schools, restaurants, churches and mass transit systems from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that it considered " overly prescriptive ." A number of states have already begun to lift restrictions, allowing for businesses including hair salons, diners and tattoo parlors to once again begin accepting customers. Health experts have warned that reopening too quickly could result in a potential rebound in cases. States are supposed to wait to begin lifting any restrictions until they have a 14

Governor J.B. Pritzker has released a five-part plan to allow certain regions of the state to open up to more activity. The governor is calling it Restore Illinois. The plan sets up four regions of the state. Each could open to more business every month if they were to improve on COVID-19 cases and treatment. Currently Illinois sits at phase two, with partial stay-at-home rules. Pritzker says if certain regions have improved enough by late May, they might see restrictions eased. “At that point, with face coverings as the norm, non-essential manufacturing and other non-essential businesses can open in accordance with safety guidance,” he said in his daily news conference. That would include barbershops and salons along with some retail and offices. If enough improvement is shown, schools and colleges could open in certain regions. The gatherings of large crowds will still be prohibited until there is either a vaccine or better treatment of COVID-19. As reported by Bill Wheelhouse, WUIS

Scottish Golf today revealed that no date has been set for the sport in this country to restart and stressed that lockdown restrictions will remain in place for the foreseeable future.

MERCHANT city lunch favourite Sprigg will reopen a delivery service after appearing on The Glasgow Pantry this week.

On this edition of Your Call, we're speaking with epidemiologist Gregg Gonsalves about the current status of testing for COVID-19 across the US.

On this edition of Your Call, we're getting an update on the COVID crisis in meatpacking plants. At least 31 meat processing plants owned by Smithfield, JBS and Tyson Foods have had coronavirus outbreaks.

A meat-packing plant in Waterloo, Iowa, where a coronavirus outbreak exploded a few weeks ago, resumed operations on Thursday after a two-week closure. The reopening of Tyson Foods' largest U.S. pork plant came the same day that health officials in Black Hawk County, where the plant is located, announced that 1,031 of the plant's estimated 2,800 employees have tested positive for the virus. That's higher than previous estimates by state officials. Tony Thompson, sheriff of Black Hawk County, was among the public officials who called for the Waterloo facility to shut down temporarily. His call to close the plant came after he first toured the facility on April 10. Thompson says that when he toured the plant then, he "fully expected" to see barriers, masks and other personal protective equipment in place. That wasn't the case. "What I saw when we went into that plant was an absolute free-for-all," he says. "Some people were wearing bandannas. Some people were wearing surgical masks. ....

President Trump wants states to begin relaxing stay-at-home orders and reopen businesses after the spread of the coronavirus pummeled the global economy and killed millions of jobs. The White House coronavirus task force released guidelines on April 16 to encourage state governors to adopt a phased approach to lifting restrictions across the country. Some states have moved ahead without meeting the criteria . The task force rejected a set of additional detailed draft recommendations for schools, restaurants, churches and mass transit systems from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that it considered " overly prescriptive ." A number of states have already begun to lift restrictions, allowing for businesses including hair salons, diners and tattoo parlors to once again begin accepting customers. Health experts have warned that reopening too quickly could result in a potential rebound in cases. States are supposed to wait to begin lifting any restrictions until they have a 14

A meat-packing plant in Waterloo, Iowa, where a coronavirus outbreak exploded a few weeks ago, resumed operations on Thursday after a two-week closure. The reopening of Tyson Foods' largest U.S. pork plant came the same day that health officials in Black Hawk County, where the plant is located, announced that 1,031 of the plant's estimated 2,800 employees have tested positive for the virus. That's higher than previous estimates by state officials. Tony Thompson, sheriff of Black Hawk County, was among the public officials who called for the Waterloo facility to shut down temporarily. His call to close the plant came after he first toured the facility on April 10. Thompson says that when he toured the plant then, he "fully expected" to see barriers, masks and other personal protective equipment in place. That wasn't the case. "What I saw when we went into that plant was an absolute free-for-all," he says. "Some people were wearing bandannas. Some people were wearing surgical masks. ....