Do you remember your worst nightmare? Or have the details faded over time? The human brain is programmed to instinctively dissociate from trauma, a critical survival mechanism during and after horrific experiences. But we must fight this instinct to take mental flight if we want to do more than merely survive the nightmarish events of the last two years. We must relive — and learn from — our shared pandemic nightmare if we hope to thrive in an endemic California.

Let’s start with the fleeting but very real glimmers of good. There were myriad moments of ingenuity — dreamt up by business owners forced to tap into their creative reserves to stay afloat amid a cesspool of hastily crafted, unevenly enforced and poorly communicated pandemic policies — that we should hold on to as we rouse from reverie and rethink the realities of our “new normal.”

Let’s allow restaurants to continue activating public spaces and catering to the pandemic-altered preferences of patrons. California should permanently roll back regulatory barriers to alfresco dining, curbside pick-up and to-go alcoholic beverages. These are business-friendly, bipartisan-backed solutions that enliven our streetscapes and empower our pandemic-ravaged service industry.

The rise of remote work, school, medicine and social services afforded us new conveniences and moved us closer to meeting the state’s aggressive climate goals. But we must ensure all Californians have the ability to live in this more connected and broadband-dependent world. We applaud internet service providers that have made new inroads with underserved communities, as well as companies and schools that have provided free devices to students for e-learning. Let’s also address gaps in digital literacy by expanding access to technical assistance.

Collaboration between employers and business organizations increased during the pandemic, strengthening grassroots advocacy groups such as BizFed to shine a brighter light on the needs of small business owners. This spurred pro-jobs policies that offered support where it was needed most. Some 93% of businesses in Los Angeles have fewer than 20 employees. Of those businesses, 55% are owned by women or minorities — the largest concentration in the nation. Let’s maintain these crisis-era partnerships as we shift from pandemic to endemic operating mode.

The bad, sadly, outweighs the good. We learned a handful of lessons about sustainable solutions to embrace, and many more lessons about policy mistakes and messaging mishaps to avoid.

Businesses were scapegoated and subjected to capricious closures during surges in local COVID-19 cases, despite inconsistent scientific evidence and a lack of supporting data. Responsible lawmakers and media outlets should get their facts and figures straight before stoking the flames of public paranoia. Public health emergency protocol should be crafted in accordance with publicly available data.

Arbitrary rules about what qualified as “essential business” forced some to close shop while others in similar positions or nearby locations were allowed to stay open. Conflicting regulations and uneven enforcement across jurisdictions added an additional layer of confusion for both businesses and patrons. Elected officials should communicate and coordinate during emergencies to ensure their policies address local needs without being at odds with rules issued by neighboring jurisdictions or other levels of government.

Businesses were required to foot the bill — with little help from the government — for closures, recall and retention, premium pay, supplemental sick leave and private right of action allowing consumers to bring private legal cases against businesses. What little assistance that was available from the government was not equitably distributed. We need centralized systems in place that streamline application and distribution processes for emergency loans and relief funds.

Employers and workers were tasked with policing customers to ensure they complied with difficult-to-enforce protocol, creating contentious and downright dangerous workspaces that contributed to the “Great Resignation” and ongoing rehiring challenges. Policies that are prohibitively costly or impossible to consistently enforce should not be passed as political theater. Burdensome measures masquerading as timely action do nothing to save lives — and can quickly crush livelihoods.

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Supply chain bottlenecks were exacerbated by record consumer demand for directly delivered goods during the pandemic. Business leaders laid out actionable steps for relief in an editorial published in Nov. 2021 by this outlet. Only a few of those solutions have been implemented. Moving forward, we must address our dependency on foreign goods and upgrade transportation systems so they support growing reliance on e-commerce.

Immersing ourselves in the trauma that responsible parties would likely rather forget is the cold shower we need to wake from this two-year nightmare.

Only by remembering and reliving, can we reevaluate and reposition our problem-solving strategies to ensure rest for the weary — and coordinated relief when the next crisis strikes.

Southern California business leaders stand ready, with eyes and ears wide open, to mark the dawn of smarter endemic policies with a listen-and-learn approach.

Sarah Wiltfong is the director of advocacy and policy of Los Angeles County Business Federation, BizFed.