Lani Garfield/ I Want To See Productions/Photos By Lani
The now year-old COVID-19 pandemic has been rough on Palm Springs and the rest of the Coachella Valley.
"There were several challenges that our region faced this year," Palm Springs Chamber of Commerce CEO Nona Watson told Desert Magazine. "The COVID-19 pandemic brought fast-moving and unexpected variables, first crisis management and response. Many businesses were either ordered to close down by law during the lockdown, while other essential businesses that remained open faced multiple operational challenges."
From providing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to finding resources to keep businesses afloat, much of the Palm Springs Chamber's efforts have been to partner with government and other groups to support area businesses regardless of their challenges, proving the valley is better together.
"The Palm Springs Chamber played an integral part in dispersing critical information and updates to our valley businesses," Watson said. "We helped businesses apply for much-needed grants and loans that were available. We worked with our city to create programs and services to help keep our businesses open. We were in constant communication with the business community to make sure they were on top of all the new and ever-changing developments and provided PPE supplies to keep their employees and customers safe."
Included in the year's events were a Chamber team drop-off of masks at areas businesses in June. In December, they provided PPE to Palm Springs businesses, an event in partnership with Coachella Valley Economic Partnership and Palm Springs city government.
In January, the Palm Springs Chamber, City of Palm Springs, Palm Springs Bureau of Tourism and several local businesses participated in a coupon program to support area restaurants. The following month, the Palm Springs Chamber and Palm Springs Bureau of Tourism launched a new program to assist local restaurants.
The Chamber also continued its "PS I ♥ U" campaign with the unveiling of the "Love Letters" art piece in the heart of the city last September.
Through it all, the Chamber's team remained ever mindful of the impact of pandemic-necessary stay-at-home orders on businesses in the valley, some of which faced permanent closure.
"Our job right now is to work hard to see what we can do," Watson told News Channel 3 in early December following a new lockdown order. "We can't change what the governor said, but we can certainly try to find assistance for our business community."
In her interview with Desert Magazine, Watson said the Chamber is starting to see positives in a -- hopefully -- waning pandemic where there could have been nothing but negative.
"Now, when we are seeing a light at the end of this tunnel, we feel that the Chamber has successfully helped our community rise through this crisis, and we know Palm Springs will come out stronger than ever," she said.
