Ever since COVID-19 it has been affecting us in major ways and forcing people to make tough decisions for their families. We are going through financial hardship. we were promised bail outs through small business loans or grants. Yet the government has made the stipulations on these grants nearly impossible for our type of business to qualify for the loan to become a grant. Most tattoo shops if not all tattoo shops have been/ will be denied . We have no help when we have been promised help. The Quarantine was implemented to flatten the curve of the spread of COVID-19 to assure that hospitals were not overwhelmed all the once in to help prevent such a rapid spread . The numbers of infected people is on the decline . We tattoo artists are trained and certified in blood-borne pathogen‘s and cross-contamination as well as many other medical safety and sterility procedures we are just as safe if not safer than most hospitals. tattoo shops are very clean we take this serious this is our livelihood if we do not return back to work by May 1st many small businesses will be lost . We will not be able to pay our bills, rents/mortgages, Insurances, we have the very potentially of losing everything. We still have to pay our mortgages/ rents and phone bills and gas and electric none of this has stopped for us . Yes, we can postpone them, but they’re not going away! Some of us can still sustain for a while, but that doesn’t mean that we are doing OK this is how we pay our bills this is how we feed our families and we are not getting any help from anyone, nor are we asking for it. We just want to be allowed to return to work in a safe manor

The survival of the independent tattoo professionals is at risk. We are facing a grave financial hardship.

Beauty professionals can not preform their services via the internet or any other way except hands on. They need to be in reasonable contact to preform this safe and Necessary service to maintain their livelihood.

This is important because people are already suffering from the shut-down. Now they can't get their hair cut or colored, which can be a humiliating proposition for many. Women especially, that are in "essential" businesses themselves, are being forced to go to work with un-kept hair and grown-out color. Furthermore, independent stylists are at risk of losing their small businesses and DESERVE to be allowed to service their fellow community members. If GOLF COURSES and CAR WASHES can be open...???...then independent hair salon owners that can service one client at a time should be too!

Most salons are owner operated and do not qualify for unemployment or any type of income assistance. Hair and Nail salons already practice extreme sanitation and cleanliness practices.

For the livelihood of the licensed hairstylist.

Most if not all massage and salon businesses no longer have any form of income and have had no help at all for the past several weeks. We see you have done nothing to help us so now we must help ourselves. This is an opportunity for you to do the right thing before we must take more serious actions.

As artist we fully understand the need and concern for guidelines and sanitational procedures. We also know putting our industry back to work is an even larger concern due to 6ft distancing. With an already strict protocol of zero cross contamination, we suggest implementing the usage of extra precautions listed above. We hope to implement these extra precautions with local health and human services, to begin the right steps to securing our workforce here in North Carolina. Covid 19 is affecting the economy in major ways and forcing people to make tough decisions for their families based upon recent events and work displacement. To ease the economical pain in our industry it is in our best discretion to open back up with these limited restrictions. Allowing shops to maintain one on one appointment based procedures, will keep these small business from going under, yet still maintain safety practices most "essential" operating businesses cannot.

The survival of the independent beauty professionals is at risk. We are facing a grave financial hardship.

Because health is achieved through fitness and actually increases immunity.

This is vital to tattoo artists, body piercers, etc. because we have zero income right now and the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program through The Cares Act has still not been implemented on the Indiana DWD website. A professional tattoo studio is one of the most sterile places you could be, and with proper measures in place we should be allowed to open our doors.

Dog groomers provide an essential service for animals and their families. Long hair dogs/cats can become matted and uncomfortable if not professionally groomed. There are hygienic and pest control problems that can occur due to lack of grooming. Nails will become long and sharp if not attended to, creating a danger to the sick and elderly. Seniors are often not physically able to provide the grooming their pets require. Gov Wolf please allow us to keep are pets safe and clean.