Tattoo artists, body piercers, and shop owners are suffering due to these shutdowns. While some have financial help due to the COVID-19 relief bill, it’s still not enough to keep these businesses running and plenty are already going out of business due to these shutdowns. Families are in deep financial hardship, and $1200 is not enough for these shop owners to keep their business going as well as for their homes to be paid. Small business loans are available; however with the increase in these loans many are not getting the help they need, and paying back those loans will only make it worse for these businesses to thrive.

Dozens of grocery store workers have died from COVID-19, despite measures being put in place, such as masks, temperature checks, and limiting shopper capacity. This clearly isn't working. It's not safe for the workers and it's not safe for other shoppers. The aisles in any store are too small to allow social distancing to take effect. Shoppers meander about trying to figure out what to buy, sometimes reaching over one another. We need to eliminate the variables of people who cannot take precautions on behalf of public safety. We're in a time when we have the technology to reduce the interaction that we have with workers and each other while fighting the virus. Effectively, we can turn the grocery stores into warehouses, and keep shoppers contained within their own automobiles, minimizing almost all risk to everyone. This will not only alleviate the health risks, but the anxiety of everyone involved.

To save our Earth, every government on every part of the globe must do their part to stop the Climate Crisis.

Stimulus Checks have not been received. Unemployment has not been received. When this income arrives our health insurance is late, car payments (not all able to defer), health insurance, we all need food, car insurance, phone and wifii bills, some of us have independent; rent for our studios and offices, heat, propane gas, electric, basic needs. With a rent freeze we will not have debt to our landlords.

My fiance is incarcerated at MDC BROOKLYN Where they have been neglected from soap,hand sanitizer,masks,not being tested.Housed with other inmates who have tested positive for Covid-19.There is no communication from MDC,leaving family members not knowing the status of their loved ones.They are being treated like animals.THEY KEEP PUTTING OFF THE RELEASE OF INMATES.WE ARE SUPPOSED TO BE SAVING LIVES,NOT TAKING THEM.PLEASE SAVE THE INMATES

Placing the Blame on Chinese people for the coronavirus is irresponsible during a time where Asian people are at an increased risk of violence and hate crimes. Calling for a travel ban is misguided and racist as they have not been shown to prevent spread. Travel bans do not keep us safe from the virus in an already globalized world. This ad only emboldens more ant-Asian bias. After the SARS outbreak and 9/11 attacks, the CDC and DOJ created plans to stop bias and hate crimes. Since the Republican administration has not yet done so, Joe Biden should show leadership by creating and releasing his plan for ending hate crimes and bias incidents during the COVIID-19 pandemic. He should also delete the ad and release a public apology. Here is the racist ad: https://twitter.com/JoeBiden/status/1251582266251243525?s=20

The court was provided a memorandum, authored by a City Official, stating that Sunset Overlook is not in violation of their ordinances. However, a judge instructed Sunset Overlook that the city needs to back up their memorandum by clarifying their code. Sunset Overlook has been penalized financially, is experiencing hardship, and is in danger of closing if the city does not act immediately.

Trump’s tweets are replete with blatant inaccuracies and lies that are threatening our national security and endangering the lives of Americans. Twitter must act and stop this or they will have blood on their hands!

Tattoo artists, body piercers, and shop owners are suffering due to these shutdowns. While some have financial help due to the COVID-19 relief bill, it’s still not enough to keep these businesses running and plenty are already going out of business due to these shutdowns. Families are in deep financial hardship, and $1200 is not enough for these shop owners to keep their business going as well as for their homes to be paid. Small business loans are available; however with the increase in these loans many are not getting the help they need, and paying back those loans will only make it worse for these businesses to thrive.

North Carolina tattoo artists are a vital part of their communities, all Are required to have up to date certifications including but not limited to Cross Contamination prevention, first aid, CPR and most have multiple years of training in their field. We are also citizens, families, taxpayers, and provide a service that has been proven to be compromised when we, as a form of licensed, provisioned, health care worker, cannot operate from our licensed facilities. Time and time again we as tattoo shop owners, artists, and employees have seen a dramatic rise in major infection, disease, and sometimes death from the closing of our establishments. COVID19 is MORE likely to be spread by those tattooing or piercing at home. It is dangerous and negligent to think that we, as tax payers and competent, well respected shop owners and tattoo artist alike cannot help the current situation rather than hinder it.

Cigar stores in Dallas County are closed because the businesses are considered non essential. Like liquor, tobacco is a product people have legally used and enjoyed since before the founding of this Country. Curb side is safe for food and liquor, why not tobacco? It is nuance without a difference. When I see 80 cars at Loews and 50 cars at major liquor stores what is the impact of 1 or 2 cars at the cigar store? It is safer! Allowing a customer to order ahead and pick up on a couple of cigars at curb side at a Cigar store is safer than it is to go through the drive through at McDonalds.

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.not to mention there is no money left for these grants, and a large percentage of the grants went to large businesses and not small businesses. Most tattoo shops, if not all tattoo shops, have been/ will be denied . We have no help when we have been promised help. We are still waiting for an application for independent contractor unemployment. Most of us have gone without making any money for 4 weeks or more. And are looking at another 2 weeks for an unemployment application. Then another 2 to 4 weeks for payment of any kind. 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 and we take this very serious. This is our livelihood and if we do not return back to work by May 1st many Tattoo businesses will be lost as well as Barbershops, Beauty Salons ,and Groomers among many others. 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 sustain for a while, but most can't. That doesn’t mean that we are doing OK Governor Wolfe. 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, and be able to sustain ourselves. Pennsylvania Tattoo Artist