ABSTRACT
Forest products and timber harvesting businesses were severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. This article describes how forest products companies used Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans to keep over 487,000 workers in the forest industry on payroll through the pandemic. This article also summarizes the Pandemic Assistance for Timber Harvesters and Haulers (PATHH) program, payments provided to timber harvesting and hauling businesses that experienced losses in revenue in 2020. Timber harvesting and hauling companies that received a PATHH payment reported US$1.27 trillion in total revenue lost between 2019 and 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. © 2022 Forest Products Society. All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
Preventing the spread of infectious disease relies heavily upon the development and implementation of public health interventions. The requisite debate over the effectiveness of these interventions is accompanied by discussions about which, if any, should be made mandatory. We contend that efforts to mandate interventions in the fight to prevent the spread of COVID-19 have clear similarities to the long-standing efforts to establish and promote retail food safety interventions. Specific similarities are that science is rarely the sole driver in deciding public health mandates and individuals' responses to them, compliance is key but can be difficult to achieve, and the concurrent incorporation of two or more interventions is a barrier against poor compliance. As these factors have a direct effect on the success of public health mandates, understanding the role and relationships among them can aid government and public health officials in ongoing efforts to prevent foodborne illness and slow the spread of COVID-19.