In the spring of 2020 the world arose to a pandemic as covid 19 spread from China to the rest of the word. In Late March 2020 and Early April 2020, China started to reopen Guangzhou after a state of shutdown to control the virus. In the meantime the rest of the word struggles to contain the virus. China was wary of new infections coming in from travelers coming to China. In response to this fear, Africans living in China have been unfairly targeted. Africans, many who have been living in Guangzhou for years without any recent travel have been forced out of their homes that they have been renting and living in. They have been forced to live on the streets where they are continually harassed. Young and old alike, Africans have gone hungry on the streets and have been forced to battle the elements of weather without adequate shelter. Africans have been denied entry into businesses and eating establishments and denied access to public transport. The situation is dire as the harassment continues without abatement.Please note that other foreigners in Guangzhou are able to continue with their lives without being singled out as the Africans have been. The harassment of Africans can only be attributed to their skin color. Africans are being targeted and abused because of their skin color.

Our small businesses are really hurting because they can’t be open. They miss their members and their passion. Gyms are clean and always populated with healthy people. Temperatures can be taken before entry and workout for an hour at a time. No touching each other and they have true ability to sanitize after every workout on any equipment they use.

This is important to us because this is our only form of income for us to feed our families and pay our bills..thank you.

Why is this important? Tanning salons are primarily solely-owned small businesses. We are seasonal based business and unfortunately this is our "peak season". (April - June) In most cases, the income we earn during this period helps suppliment our bills during the slower months. It will be very difficult to recover from our "peak season" losses. The PPP and EIDL programs have failed a majority of us and we are left without any means of income while being shut down. Tanning salons have always prided themselves in being extremely clean and sanitary places. We already practice heightened sanitary and privacy/spacing procedures. New procedures would include: appropriate social distancing in lobby upon check-in and then sent to a private room that has been sanitized thoroughly. Check-in procedure will be a brief as possible. No more than 10 people at a time will be permitted in the salon at one given time. If more than one door to business is present, one door will be labeled "enter" and one "exit". Please consider these health benefits that have been linked to tanning and UV light treatment: -Sustains good mental health -Kills viruses & bacterias -Treats psoriasis, eczema and other skin conditions -Produces much needed Vitamin D which has been proven to help people with: -Vitamin D deficiencies -High blood pressure -Seasonal Affective Disorder -Depression and anxiety ...and many more benefits I encourage you to sign our petition and help us get open ASAP!

A lot of small businesses like us did not receive the Economic Injury loan nor the loans under CARES act. Most of us built our business with no investors or any type of fundings. Mandatory shut down is depleting our own saving accounts as Landlord at our business facility demands same rent and enforcing the contract against us and we need to work so we can provide food and a living space along with $ to pay these landlords. On the other side, clients who seek these services because they care about their well-being. Well-being includes mental health and happiness. This is essential and important to our overall health. Tiny businesses like us contribute to the 44% of successful economy and help with creating employment so we need to be recognized and not be left out. Thank you for your attention and let’s work together.

Many people suffer from foot pain and other podiatric related issues and need shoes and proper support...especially health care providers in the heat of the war against COVID-19. As a type of transportation walking/running should be considered an essential business as bicycle shops and other forms of transportation. Also, first responders and other essential employees have no place to purchase necessary supportive footwear necessary to adequately perform their job to prevent overuse injury.

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. Moreover the quarantine was implemented to flatten the curve of the spread of covid 19 to ensure that hospitals were not overwhelmed all at once and to help prevent such rapid spread. The number of people infected is currently on a decline and the numbers aren’t as bad as once projected. Additionally Tattoo artist are trained and certified in blood borne pathogens and cross contamination as well as many other medical safety and sterility procedures.

Allow fitness centers to open with the 10-20 person in the gym at a time for smaller locations and 50 for larger locations starting as of Monday April 27, 2020. All necessary precautions and sanitation protocols approved by the state of IL and the local Board of Health will be followed. Our industry needs to be recognized & deemed as an essential business so we can better serve our community, for their physical and mental health. Some people do not understand what the gym does for people because they have never experienced it. Taking a walk or trying to exercise at home is not the same as working out at a gym. Maintaining a 10 person rule, maintaining a 6 feet distance and upping the sanitation of the facility, as we were doing before the complete shut down on March 25th, can be accomplished as we were doing. A gym environment that enforces these sanitation and social distancing rules are in a better position compared to 20 or more people in a grocery store or 10 plus people at restaurants picking up food. If gym staff or members have any illness or signs of illness, they should do as they have done in the past and stay home, just like they would for their regular job. Why is this important? There are several small business gym owners across the United States that may not survive if they do not have the chance to open back up with these restrictions and soon. The key word is in the name, small business means not alot of people at one time anyway. Most small business owners took the leap and used their own money to make that move. Now several will not survive. Please help small business gym owners open back up so we have a fighting chance of surviving and making sure that our communities have a gym to go back to. Alot of small communities rely on the small business gyms to survive.

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

Dogs need grooming! As groomers we do more than just make the dog look pretty. We are the first to notice skin conditions fleas hotspots ticks matting fatty tumors warts and ear infections while we are grooming your dog. So saying that dog grooming is not an essential is absolutely ludicrous. Per the ASPCA and many veterinarians along with PetMD dog grooming is an essential. It is also a trade business that should be open as long as the grooming salons are practicing social distancing with protection of masks. We need to be open we need to be considered an essential not just to the people but to the pets who have no voice!

Most pets require monthly haircuts and or grooming. With that being said, our clientele may have underlying skin conditions that require the pet to have weekly and or biweekly shampoo and grooming treatments. Breeds that require monthly grooming and if not kept on a monthly schedule, this can lead to excessive hair matting, skin infections, and ear infections to name a few. Also along with the excessive growth in the pets toenails.

COVID-19 is decimating the economy in many ways and forcing barbers and stylists to make tough decisions for survival of their families based on the recent stay at home orders and work displacement. To ease the economical pain and suffering in our industry, it is in our best discretion to open back up with limited restrictions. Furthermore, the Governor's stay at home order was implemented to flatten the curve of the spread of the virus to ensure hospitals were not overrun and overwhelmed and to help prevent rapid spread of the virus. According to the federal government, the number of infected is on the decline and nationwide there have been admittedly lower numbers than originally projected. This will also help barbers and stylists work in a controled environment while being able to provide for their families. Additionally, barbers are trained and certified for many medical safety and sterile procedure.