Gov. Tate Reeves announced Friday that he was extending the safer at home order that was set to expire Monday an additional two weeks, but said some businesses including barbershops, salons and fitness centers could reopen Monday with some restrictions.
“Wall Street is gonna be OK. My concern is about Main Street,” Reeves said.
Barbershops, salons and fitness centers — businesses that tend to be small and have recently dominated the conversation regarding the economic impact of the fallout of coronavirus — are permitted to open Monday morning with significant restrictions.
"The human cost of another Great Depression is higher than the benefit of broad orders,” Reeves said, citing the 200,000 unemployment applications filed statewide in the last seven weeks. “As we work to re-open our economy, that is not a signal that the threat of the virus is gone. It is a shift in strategy because months of making it illegal for small businesses to operate is not sustainable.
“To the people of Mississippi: I am asking you — begging you — to exercise your personal responsibility.”
Before a salon or barbershop may open, the entire building must be deep-cleaned, disinfected and sanitized.
Owners must deep clean every day and are ordered to follow all Mississippi State Department of Health and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines related to COVID-19.
Owners must provide hand sanitizer at all entrances and are encouraged to limit person-to-person contact as much as possible using electronics. Each entrance must hold posted signage stating no customer with a fever or COVID-19 symptoms are allowed to enter.
Chairs inside the shop must be rearranged to guarantee six feet of space between customers and must be sanitized after each use. Only one customer per employee is allowed inside the shop. Employees must be screened daily for contact with a confirmed case of COVID-19 within the previous 14 days or if they had a fever in the previous 48 hours.
Any employee in direct contact with customers must be provided with a face covering and employees are required to wear them, to be cleaned or replaced on a daily basis. Employees also must wear disposable gloves and wash their hands and change their gloves between every customer.
Waiting areas will be closed and customers must wait outside in their vehicles. Customers must sanitize their hands when they enter and exit and will be screened in the same manner as employees. Customers are required to wear a face covering unless they’re receiving a service impeded by such articles. And each customer must be draped with a clean cape, to be washed between each use, and a protective neck strip.
Reeves stressed the importance of personal responsibility and using good judgement.
“You are needed. It is by your action that can take a difference. You can keep yourself, your family and your neighbors safe. This virus is real, this virus is a threat. It is deadly and please, I beg you, do not listen to the voices in your life that tell you there is no danger,” he said.
Gyms are also allowed to open. They must also be sanitized, follow appropriate guidelines, close by 10 p.m. each day, dedicate an employee to sanitize equipment after each use and all frequently-touched areas every two hours, equipment must be rearranged to allow six feet of space, post signage on entrances, provide hand sanitizer throughout the facility and keep common areas closed.
Employees will be screened daily and must wear face coverings and disposable gloves to be replaced once every hour. They cannot exceed 30% capacity and customers must limit use to one hour each day. Classes or group exercises are allowed if customers maintain a six foot distance and customers must sanitize their hands when entering and exiting the gym and when switching between equipment.
Reeves said state law enforcement is available to enforce the order but that local agencies are expected to do so.
“Show the true spirit of Mississippi. We can do this, we can reopen and we can be smart,” Reeves said. “Let’s work together to prove to the rest of the world that we can protect and provide for those 200,000 Mississippians who have lost their jobs in the last seven weeks and protect those of the most vulnerable among us.”
Health officials reported 404 new infections and 13 deaths statewide Friday afternoon for a total of 9,090 cases and 409 deaths. Pike County reported one new infection and one death for a total of 163 cases and 10 deaths.
State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs said ongoing community transmission statewide and significant per capita rates of infection in isolated areas are driving the increase. He said it’s also indicative of improved testing.
“We do have specific outbreaks in certain counties and certain communities,” Dobbs said. “We’re testing so many more people than we were — we’re well-above our target thresholds on a day-to-day basis.”
