Columbia Mayor says consumers not confident enough to reopen

'Resilient Midlands' hold discussion on economic recovery efforts

Columbia, SC (WOLO) — Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin says consumer confidence in returning to businesses is not where it should be for a mass economic reopening.

Benjamin held a meeting with his Resilient Midlands Economic Recovery Task Force Friday morning to discuss how and when to reopen the city. The Mayor along with local business leaders talked about what safe options they have in place to open the doors to more businesses across the city.

Some task force members talked about distributing more masks and personal protective equipment for small businesses, while others suggested citywide signage to encourage social distancing.

Mayor Benjamin says maintaining a data-driven approach will be needed in order to strengthen any sort of economic recovery. The suggestions from Friday’s meeting will be presented to City Council members at a later date.