Some Georgia businesses will begin re-opening Friday, and more will phase in after the weekend. Bill Slaughter is commission chairman for Lowndes County, which sits just over the Florida border. He says if Floridians come over to do business, they need to take precautions.
“Initially on Friday, our barber shops, hair salons, spas, those type businesses, tattoo parlors – they’ll be able to open back up,” Slaughter said Thursday.
Restaurants will be permitted to resume dine-in services Monday.
Slaughter, a Republican who won the commission chair seat in 2012, says even though the businesses are permitted to re-open, they’ll have to follow some additional guidelines to mitigate spread of COVID-19.
“For example, from a barber shop standpoint, they will be unable to use the same apron on multiple clients,” the chairman told WFSU.
For some businesses, that will mean having to stock up on additional inventory. Counties like Lowndes and cities like Thomasville are a short drive for Floridians. Slaughter says he’s not discouraging Floridians, whose neighborhood businesses are still closed from coming over. But, he’s urging caution:
“I have personally no objection to it, however, I still would encourage everyone to be sure that you practice good sanitation, that you keep in mind that when you are out and about, you greatly raise the potential that you could come in contact with someone that’s carrying the virus,” Slaughter said.
Georgia is still under a stay-at-home order. The state’s Governor Brian Kemp recently extended the order to last until the end of the month.
President Donald Trump, who backed Kemp in his highly-contested gubernatorial race, said during a press conference this week he “strongly disagrees” with Kemp’s decision to open businesses at this point.
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