“As COVID-19 caused major disruptions to every aspect of life on the island, we recognized there was an overwhelming flood of information from countless sources that needed to be curated to benefit businesses and the community,” said Annette Taijeron Santos, dean of UOG’s School of Business and Public Administration, who is leading the Guam Recovery working group along with John J. Rivera, director of the university’s Regional Center for Public Policy.

The portal curates timely news about the pandemic status in Guam, travel requirements for Guam and source markets, reopening guidelines, sanitation and workforce information, and the economy. The site links to other official sources, such as the Centers for Disease Control. Users will also soon find news from Guam’s tourism source markets and industry best practices from around the world that may help local businesses plan for future growth and sustainability.

“When business, education, and community leaders come together for the benefit of our people, we see good things happen,” said Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero. “While we have many great resources of information available and have a team of experts working to get all relevant information out to the public, the guamrecovery.com website will surely help to simplify that process for many who need information during this critical period and as we work toward the recovery of our island from COVID-19.”

The Guam Recovery team

The Guam Recovery working group was organically created from a desire and need to help Guam’s businesses successfully navigate the challenges of reopening. The group is comprised of volunteer educators, industry stakeholders, web and information technology experts, researchers, and communicators.

“The Guam Recovery team meets weekly to discuss how we can provide useful resources at the PCOR 2 and 3 stages of Guam’s plan. We've also identified a long-term need to support the rebuilding of Guam’s economy, specifically through the tourism industry, which you will hear more about soon,” Santos said.

Adam Tydingco, web designer and owner of Eleven/Eleven D&D, developed the site and consolidates the business-focused information, adding local and global sources as they become available daily.

When the island transitions from reopening to recovery, the portal will develop into a communications center, where news is disseminated and the community can request assistance and provide feedback and ideas. UOG will further develop the portal to launch new learning programs for the community, share research data, and provide resources that can help businesses improve customer service, meet health requirements, and attract customers.

“We want the community to know that we are here with you,” Rivera said. “These are part of the services we are providing as a way to support you as we rebuild. We aim to provide new best practices that can help to better connect our island and improve experiences at the business level so we can collectively enhance the Guam experience. Our first step is to help businesses reopen. As a community, we need to help each other rebuild and recover in ways that will make us truly pandemic resilient.”

The Guam Recovery portal is the first project under the group’s overarching plan to develop a hub at the School of Business and Public Administration that will complement the government of Guam’s policies and help the island attract visitors back safely.

“Residents and visitors have many concerns about the health, safety, and economic situation on the island,” Santos said. “We must rise to meet the global industry standards so we can confidently say that we are a safe destination. In the end, the best investment we can make is to become a destination where our residents and visitors feel safe enough to enjoy themselves and return often.”