TRSA has led the publicity charge for businesses that otherwise might not be recognized as critical to the fight against COVID-19 and could be shut down because regulators fail to classify them properly in shelter-in-place orders. Business media including Yahoo! Finance, Morningstar and Townhall Finance published TRSA’s March warning, prompted by members whose contact with local authorities indicated their confusion over whether linen, uniform and facility services deliveries were considered essential. In all, TRSA’s warning was cited in 165 online postings that drew 40.3 million unique visitors.

Aimed at federal, state and local officials, the warning ...