Ducey to shut down salons, barber shops, other services during outbreak

PHOENIX – Gov. Doug Ducey on Friday announced additional guidance that will shut down salons, barber shops and other services that were initially deemed essential during the coronavirus outbreak in an executive order announced last month.

The services will have to cease operations by 5 p.m. on Saturday, Ducey said in a press release.

Tanning salons, tattoo parlors, spas and massage parlors are also included in Ducey’s list.

Amenities at public parks that don’t allow proper physical distancing, communal pools and swap meets will also be shut down.

“During these unprecedented times, providing clarity for small businesses and employers is an important measure to ensure we protect our citizens, slow the spread of COVID-19 and protect this critical part of our economy,” Ducey said in the release. “As guidance from public health officials evolves, we will continue to release information and direction.”

The decision comes after Ducey was pressed multiple times during Thursday night’s virtual town hall by moderators and through questions submitted by citizens for clarity on the issue, because it generally had been assumed that such services were considered “essential” under his “Stay Home, Stay Healthy, Stay Connected” executive order that went into effect Tuesday.

“What I said is we focused on shutting down as much as we could of these issues to slow that spread,” he said, adding that “those services are not covered under the order.”

On Friday morning, U.S. Rep. Greg Stanton’s chief of staff, Seth Scott, tweeted that he’d called the governor’s office for clarification and was told that small businesses should hire an attorney to interpret the executive order.

Just got off the phone with the Gov's office, who said that small businesses who don't know if they are covered by Exec Order NEED TO HIRE AN ATTORNEY to interpret the E.O. for them, that Gov's office will not be providing any clarification or help. https://t.co/10mQhCC7Rh

— Seth Scott (@seth_scott) April 3, 2020

Ducey’s chief of staff, Daniel Scarpinato, later tweeted that the governor’s office wants to “provide clarity during this ever-evolving situation” and would provide additional guidance about essential services later in the day.

Gov @DougDucey very much supports our small business community and ABSOLUTELY wants to provide clarity during this ever-evolving situation. In an effort to continue over communicating, our office will be providing additional guidance this afternoon regarding essential services. https://t.co/xrnyhdapeX

— Daniel Scarpinato (@Scarpinato) April 3, 2020

The executive order tells residents to stay home other than for “essential services” that had been previously defined in a March 23 order.

Part of the essential services list reads as follows:

Professional services, such as legal services, accounting services, insurance services, personal hygiene services (including barber shops and salons) with additional sanitization precautions as recommended for businesses by the Arizona Department of Health Services …

The order doesn’t detail what is meant by “additional sanitization precautions.”

When asked specifically about salons and barber shops on Thursday night, Ducey said they shouldn’t be considered essential if they aren’t taking the proper precautions intended to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

“The businesses you are talking about are not covered inside our executive order,” he said.

“If they’re looking for cover under one of the categories, then they’re going to have to demonstrate that they can exercise social distancing or some other type of protective measure.

 

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