Vince Villavalzo, owner of the Mystic Owl tattoo parlor in the Atlanta metro area, discusses his decision not to reopen his business, even as the state of Georgia attempts to reopen some of its economy.
As the coronavirus continues its devastation across the U.S., Georgia is reopening parts of its economy on Friday, allowing gyms, hair salons and tattoo parlors to begin serving customers again. Movie theaters and dine-in restaurants are set to follow on Monday.
But many firms there are in no rush to bring their employees back as the debate over when it is safe to return to work rages across the nation.
While Georgia’s shelter-in-place order doesn’t expire until April 30, the state’s efforts to loosen lockdown policies are relatively aggressive compared with other states, including others in the Southeast.
Gov. Brian Kemp’s move to begin to restart Georgia’s economy has drawn the ire of several local mayors.
Even President Donald Trump, who has at times appeared to encourage a quick return to business as usual said Thursday that he did not approve.
“I want the people in Georgia to be safe, and I don’t want this thing to flare up because you’re deciding to do something that’s not in the guidelines,” he said. “I’m not happy about it and I’m not happy about Brian Kemp.”
Permission to reopen doesn’t mean businesses immediately will. Equinox Executive Chairman Harvey Spevak told CNBC Friday that the company isn’t opening its doors on immediately, opting instead for a “wait and see approach.”
Large movie theater chains like AMC and Cinemark likely won’t reopen on Monday, especially with so many film releases postponed.
Food Network star Willie Degel said that he’s going to “wait on the sidelines” before reopening his Georgia location and the owner of a metro Atlanta barbershop told CNBC that she doesn’t have a date set for reopening her shop.
Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan said in a CNBC interview on Wednesday that “every industry and every business is going to have a different recovery strategy.”
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