Business owners in Georgia are divided on whether they should actually reopen
- Three weeks after Georgia lifted coronavirus-related business restrictions, business owners are divided on how to proceed.
- Some business owners, like tea shop owner Brandi Shelton, fear the reopening of the economy was rushed and irresponsible.
- Others, like salon owner Melissa Singleton, were comfortable opening with new safety precautions.
- Data showed that more than 60,000 people visited Georgia from out of state after businesses reopened, leading experts to fear a spike in coronavirus cases.
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Three weeks after Georgia became one of the first states to reopen its economy, business owners in the state are divided on how to proceed.
In late April, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp allowed gyms, hair salons, and some other businesses to open, and a week later, he lifted restrictions on most other businesses. The decisions came despite warnings from public health officials that lifting restrictions too soon could cause the number of coronavirus cases to increase drastically.
But for hair salon owner Melissa Singleton, the reversal was welcome news.
"I don't feel like it's too soon," Singleton, owner of Melissa's Salon and Spa in Blairsville, told Business Insider Today. "The economy has got to keep functioning, and we can't just sit back on our heels and wait for the government to supply all of our needs. That's not how America was built and that's not how it's going to survive."
In the first weekend after Georgia businesses reopened, the state saw 60,000 more out-of-state visitors, mostly from neighboring states that are still shut down.
Singleton works alone in her salon, and only sees one customer at a time. The rural county where she lives and works has had 36 confirmed coronavirus cases as of May 15.
"I check each and every person that comes in for their temperature to make sure they don't have a temperature when they arrive here," she said. "I take measures to wipe down the chairs, any chairs that they've come in contact with, all the door handles, the bathrooms — everything gets cleaned and sanitized after every customer."
Meanwhile, in Atlanta, Brandi Shelton isn't planning on opening her tea shop any time soon.
"This is not ideal. I want to be open," Shelton, co-owner of the Just Add Honey Tea Company, told Business Insider Today. "We want to service our customers and our community, but we also want to do it responsibly and not because of an arbitrary date."
As states continue to reopen, business owners across the US will soon be facing similar decisions.