Several states are starting to wean themselves back into some sense of normalcy this week. Georgia governor Brian Kemp has given non essential businesses the okay to reopen. Nail salons, beauty salons, tattoo parlors, and movie theaters are among the businesses slated for reopening in efforts to restart the economy.
By definition, the reopening of states are tied to lifting stay at home restrictions. Lifting these restrictions have no effect on businesses that use e-commerce to provide goods and services. Reopening states and lifting stay at home restrictions are imperative for industries that rely on face to face interaction. It is currently impossible have services rendered like getting your hair done virtually. And since very few of these industries make house calls, you would have to leave your house to have these types of services rendered.
The barometers each governor will use to eventually reopen their respective states is subjective. Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer has extended her state’s stay at home order until May 15. New York governor Andrew Cuomo hasn’t determined a date as to when his state will reopen. Florida governor Ron DeSantis issued a stay at home order effective until April 30th, but hasn’t given a timeline on when his state will reopen.
There’s a lot of confusion regarding stay at home orders vs. state reopening measures. There’s one method we can all use moving forward: personal responsibility. The Georgia case is a good example, as many Americans feel that reopening the state now is much too soon, and that will exponentially increase COVID-19 cases. Maybe businesses can take it upon themselves to not reopen until they feel it’s safe to do so. Patrons can also decide not to patron these businesses until they feel it’s safe to do so.
These are merely suggestions, not actual mandatory guidelines. We still need to exercise effective practices (hand washing, social distancing, wearing masks) that have become our daily routine. There’s no substitute for being responsible and using wisdom in an effort to contain the spread of COVID-19. As long as America (and the world, for that matter) can do that, we really will get through this together.
