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Welcome to Chris’s Corner!

Welcome to the inaugural posting of Chris’s Corner! I hope this blog will serve a conduit between some of the work the Business Partnership is doing behind the scenes and the Somerset County business community.  Our small group of seven works on numerous activities, many which you can see the result of at our programs and events. My goal will be to bring you information about what is going that you cannot get anywhere else. 

The first issue that I want to bring to your attention is the same issue that has been the most prevalent issue for the past 16 months… COVID-19.   With the rise in cases due to the Delta Variant, I believe it’s vitally important that organizations like the SCBP play a crucial role in our local vaccination effort.  All of the progress we have made in 2021 to help the business community recover is threaten by a prolonged surge in cases.  We must work together to ensure we can reach heard immunity and that there is not threat of an economic shutdown going forward.   We’ve come too far! 

Below is a letter we signed on to with numerous other Chambers from around the State of NJ.  If your business is interested in hosting a vaccination clinic for your employees or the public please let me know. 

N.J. Chambers of Commerce Agree: The Business Community Can and Must Play a ‘Crucial Role’ in the COVID-19 Vaccination Effort

The New Jersey Chamber of Commerce and 36 local and regional chambers throughout the state are urging employers to host on-site vaccine clinics for their employees and their families. Further, the chambers of commerce themselves – all of which are members of the New Jersey Chamber Alliance – plan to host a series of pop-up vaccine clinics in partnership with the New Jersey Department of Health, and will be urging their employees and their member company employees to get vaccinated.

The Chamber Alliance is concerned about reported growth of COVID-19 cases among unvaccinated people due to the Delta variant.

“The business community can and must play a crucial role in the vaccine effort,” said Tom Bracken, president and CEO of the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce. “The state of New Jersey has one of the top vaccination rates in America. This is a credit to the strong leadership of Gov. Murphy and his team, who have steered us through this pandemic.
“But everyone must do their part to finish the job and get vaccines in the arms of as many people as possible,” Bracken added. “We must rise up and significantly move the needle, or the pandemic will not soon end.”

The state Health Department is pairing vaccine providers with employers to create on-site vaccine pop-up clinics. “We urge employers to accept this offer,” Bracken said. “It is critical to a successful reopening of our economy.” Employers that are interested can reach out to the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce to coordinate a pop-up clinic in your area.
Inoculations have slowed in recent months while the Delta variant of COVID-19 continues to spread in New Jersey and in all other states, primarily among unvaccinated individuals, the state Health Department has reported.

“The progress we have made against COVID-19 could be in jeopardy if we don’t get the variants under control, and the best way to stop the virus from mutating is to get people vaccinated,” Bracken said. “We can’t backtrack. Vaccinations are safe, effective and essential to the health of New Jersey’s citizens, and its economy.

“The New Jersey business community has shown resilience throughout the pandemic, finding new and innovative ways to survive and be prepared for the pending recovery,” Bracken said. “What is clear, however, is that one hurdle standing in the way of our economic recovery is the slowing pace of vaccinations. The state’s economic health will be negatively impacted and our return to normalcy will be postponed until vaccination rates reach higher levels, reducing the threat of a COVID-19 resurgence due to the Delta variant or any variant.”

List of Chamber Alliance Members Participating:
African American Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey
Burlington County Regional Chamber of Commerce
Cape May County Chamber of Commerce
Capital Region Minority Chamber of Commerce
Chamber of Commerce Southern New Jersey
Cranford Area Chamber of Commerce
Eastern Monmouth Area Chamber of Commerce
Fort Lee Regional Chamber of Commerce
Gateway Regional Chamber of Commerce
Gloucester County Chamber of Commerce
Greater Atlantic City Chamber of Commerce
Greater Elizabeth Chamber of Commerce
Greater Ocean Township Chamber of Commerce
Greater Vineland Chamber of Commerce
Greater Westfield Area Chamber of Commerce
Greater Woodbury Chamber of Commerce
Hoboken Chamber of Commerce
Ho-Ho-Kus Chamber of Commerce
Hudson County Chamber of Commerce
Hunterdon County Chamber of Commerce
Mahwah Regional Chamber of Commerce
Matawan-Aberdeen Chamber of Commerce
Meadowlands Regional Chamber of Commerce
Middle Township Chamber of Commerce
Middlesex County Regional Chamber of Commerce
Morris County Hispanic-American Chamber of Commerce
New Jersey State Chamber of Commerce
Newark Regional Business Partnership
North Essex Chamber of Commerce
North New Jersey Chamber of Commerce
Princeton Mercer Regional Chamber of Commerce
Salem County Chamber of Commerce
Somerset County Business Partnership
Suburban Chamber of Commerce
Teaneck Chamber of Commerce
Union Township Chamber of Commerce
Woodbridge Chamber of Commerce

To learn more about the COVID-19 vaccine, visit: covid19.nj.gov/vaccine

About the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce

The New Jersey Chamber of Commerce is a business advocacy organization that represents its members on a wide range of business and education issues. Based in Trenton, the organization also links the state’s local and regional chambers on issues of importance through its grassroots legislative network. For more information, visit njchamber.com

About the New Jersey Chamber Alliance

The individual and collective mission of the New Jersey Chamber Alliance is to create and maintain a favorable business environment that will help all segments of the New Jersey economy to grow. All of these chambers are fully invested in the success of our state’s economy, our communities and our member businesses.