Local business owners preparing for customers as restaurants, salons, gyms reopen

Published 5:00 am Saturday, May 9, 2020

Alabama’s dine-in restaurants, bars, salons and gyms will be allowed to reopen with limits as the state eases restrictions during the continuing coronavirus pandemic, Gov. Kay Ivey said Friday.

New guidelines taking effect Monday require that social distancing rules remain in place, and businesses will be required to protect both customers and workers, officials said.

But the state will lift restrictions on non-work gatherings of 10 or more people, Ivey said. Businesses including restaurants, hair salons, bars, breweries and gymnasiums can reopen with rules including increased cleaning, crowd limits and, in some cases, the use of face masks.

Stephen Gannon, one of the owners of 412 Public House and owner of Anytime Fitness, said both businesses are ready to open Monday.

“As far as the gyms go, as far as cleanliness, we maintain such a high standard of hygiene in our gyms that we have to literally change nothing,” he said. “Members in our gyms have always been very respectful and that’s a reflection of our amazing staff. Literally, there’s almost no changes other than wearing masks when they talk to people.”

The restaurant, which has been doing curb-side pickup during the shut down, is likewise ready to reopen. “We’ll probably just seat every-other table,” he said.

In January, the restaurant, typically closed on Mondays, had started Burgers and Brews on Mondays. They’re going reopen with that this Monday. “That’s a great way to re-kick it off; it’s not our full menu but it’s a really enjoyable kind of laid back as it had been so that will be a nice first night for us.”

Salon owner Tanner Corum of Bespoke Hair Design and Color Bar expressed his frustration about hair studios being closed to The Times in a FaceBook message prior to the governor’s announcement Friday.

“We are tested vigorously, and have at least one completely random inspection per year by the state. That inspection is an in depth as you can imagine,” he wrote.”I have seen inspectors go through drawers, cabinets, back rooms and break areas to make sure that a salon deserves the score that will hang on its wall for the next year. This is also why we personally love our inspector, and are proud to work hard for the 100 we display.”

In an interview with The Times after the governor announced the reopening of hair salons, Corum said he and his six stylists and one massage therapist are ready to get back to work. “We’re beyond ready,” he said, noting that he’s been stockpiling cleaning supplies and equipment in preparation. “We’re taking it very seriously, When a new issue arises, we’ve got to raise our standards to rise to that new standard,” he said.

Only one of the stylists has received any kind of relief funding since the salon closed, and that came in the form of unemployment from a previous job. “I’ve had clients of mine just Venmo me $25 or whatever, saying, ‘I’m thinking of you,’” said Corum. The financial aspect has been difficult, but so has the loss of connection with clients and the community. “Of course the virus is dangerous and physical health is important, but so is mental health.”

The rules will allow more churches to resume regular services, but entertainment venues including movie theaters and bowling alleys must remain closed, and youth sports teams are still barred from playing.

Reopening businesses will allow “additional people to go back to work,” said Ivey, who has with met with pressure to relax state rules meant to stem the spread of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. But the disease remains a real problem, she told a Capitol news conference.

“I know full well that I sound like a broken record, but friends, I can’t say this more clearly: The threat of COVID-19 continues to exist. It is truly deadly and it must be addressed,” Ivey said.

More outbreaks will occur as the economy reopens, said Dr. Scott Harris, the state health officer, but the state is “well prepared” to deal with them. Caseloads have been “a little higher” in recent days, Harris said, and officials are trying to determine how much of the change was linked to increased testing or increased disease.

The changes were coupled with new legal protections meant to help shield businesses from what Ivey called “frivolous” lawsuits linked to the coronavirus pandemic.

An order issued by Ivey would protect health care facilities and businesses involved with the COVID-19 response from being sued if they’re complying with state guidelines on public health. The legal shield will help ease the effects of the closed economy, the order said.

“I want to do everything within my authority to protect businesses as Alabama’s economy gets up and running again. As we resume operations, the very last thing a business owner needs to worry about is a frivolous lawsuit from responding to COVID-19,” Ivey said in a statement.

Companies that knowingly abuse the public trust can still be held accountable, she said.

More than 9,100 people in the state have tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus, and 374 have died from the illness. Cullman County has had 62 confirmed COVID-19 cases as of Friday night, but no confirmed deaths.

For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death. The vast majority of people recover.

Additional changes in Alabama’s response to the pandemic could occur within days, Ivey said.

“A lot of what we do next week depends on how people respond to what we are doing today,” she said. “We’ll just have to wait and see and make a judgment at that time.”

The Associated press contributed to this story.