Orders for barber shops, nail and hair salons and other personal care services to shut down no later than 8 p.m. tomorrow have been issued by the governors of New York, Connecticut, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
Govs. Andrew M. Cuomo of New York, Ned Lamont of Connecticut, Phil Murphy of New Jersey and Tom Wolf of Pennsylvania acted together as part of their decision to take a regional approach in putting into place measures designed to combat the spread of COVID-19. The idea is to prevent people from avoiding compliance by driving to an adjacent state that might have a less restrictive policy in place.
Tattoo and piercing parlors, hair removal services and related personal care services were ordered to close along with the barber shops and nail and hair salons. The governors said that these services cannot be provided while maintaining social distance.
The order for the new closings follows yesterday’s directives closing all indoor portions of retail shopping malls, amusement parks and bowling alleys. On Monday, there was a directive limiting recreational and social gatherings to no more than 50 people and closing movie theaters, fitness facilities, casinos and on-premises service at bars and restaurants.
“We know how the novel coronavirus spreads and we are making data-driven decisions as the situation evolves to continue to reduce density and slow the spread of the virus,” Cuomo said. “These temporary closures are not going to be easy, but they are necessary to protecting the health and safety of New Yorkers and all Americans.”
Murphy said, “While we understand the challenge these restrictions pose to our region’s small businesses, we are actively working with the federal government to ensure that financial relief is made available to our business owners and workforce as quickly as possible.”
Lamont characterized the move as “a very difficult decision.” He added, “Continuing to confront these critical decisions as a region and across our borders will protect all of our state’s residents.”
Wolf said,”All Pennsylvanians are greatly appreciative of the aggressive approach our neighbors are taking, which will help all of our residents as we address this public health crisis.”
Wolf had previously issued an extensive list of businesses ordered to shut down in his state. Among the numerous types of businesses in Pennsylvania specified for closing were those engaged in mining and quarrying, building construction, road and bridge construction, fiber and yarn mills, apparel manufacturing, appliance manufacturing and the manufacturing of transportation equipment
