Executive letter

Dear Community Partner,

Few communities would respond to a crisis with the public-minded spirit recently displayed by our residents, business owners and city officials. Without hesitation, they put aside their own hardships and rallied to our call to collaborate on a comprehensive, safety-focused strategy for a first-phase post-COVID-19 reopening of our economy.

Creating a uniform set of protocols for businesses with a diversity of practices, services and operating environments would prove a daunting task under the best of circumstances. We asked them to do it in two weeks.

More than 150 volunteers were assembled into task force teams representing nine different sectors of our community: restaurants, retail, the arts, hotels, short-term rentals, recreation/ attractions, small business/services, childcare and faith-based organizations.

Lending their experience and expertise to resolve issues unique to their specific sector, each group developed a checklist of practical and cost-effective protective measures that can be implemented by businesses across Hilton Head Island and Bluffton to provide a consistent and evidence-based approach to safeguarding the health of our residents, visitors and workforce.

After being reviewed by health care professionals, the recommended best practice guidelines were compiled into the Path Forward Readiness Plan.

We are deeply grateful for the dedication and cooperation exhibited by our task force teams and the time and effort they gave to this endeavor. It is in challenging times that we show our true mettle. These last few weeks demonstrated the tenacity of our community – and we couldn’t be prouder.

Chris McCorkendale Board Chairman

Page 2 - Path Forward Readiness Plan

Bill Miles President & CEO

Ray Warco Task Force Steering Committee Chairman