Governor Tate Reeves announced Friday that the Safer at Home order set to expire Monday, May 11, has been extended for two weeks, and is scheduled to end on May 25.
Reeves also announced that barbershops, salons, and gyms were allowed to open on Monday, May 11, if they adhere to strict health guidelines.
Reeves said, “Let’s all be honest: it is not because there is no risk associated with you going there. There is risk every minute that you leave your home. It’s because I can’t let our small businesses fold and families be destroyed by government order.”
Reeves also spoke of the continued rise in unemployment. He said the country has reached the highest unemployment rate since the Great Depression, a fact that also played a role in the recent shift in strategy, after months of making it illegal for small businesses to operate becoming an “unsustainable” practice.
Reeves said, “This fight is not over. Please, please take this seriously. I know we all want it to be over. It is not. You are needed. It is your action that can make a difference. You can keep yourself, your family, and your neighbors safe. The virus is real. It is a threat. It is deadly.”
The following guidelines were set forth in Executive Order 1480 for barbershops to reopen:
Before they can reopen, the entire salon or barbershop must be deep-cleaned, disinfected, and sanitized top to bottom. After opening, salons and barbershops must be deep-cleaned daily.
All salons and barbershops are expected to take every step necessary to implement the regulations, orders, and guidance from the Mississippi State Department of Health and CDC to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Hand sanitizer must be placed at all entrances.
Minimizing person-to-person contact through technology, like mobile or online reservations and contact-less payment, is encouraged.
Salons and barbershops must post signage at each entrance stating that no customer with a fever or COVID-19 symptoms is allowed in.
Chairs are to be rearranged to ensure at least 6 feet between each customer and be sanitized after each use by a customer.
Only one customer per employee is allowed in the salon or barbershop at any given time.
All employees will be screened daily at the beginning of their shifts, including asking whether they have been in contact with a confirmed case of COVID-19 in the past 14 days and have they had a fever in the last 48 hours.
Face coverings must be provided to all employees who come in direct contact with customers. Employees are required to wear that face covering throughout their shift and clean or replace daily.
Employees must also wear disposable gloves and change them between customers, as well as wash their hands between every customer.
All employees must be provided training on how to limit the spread of COVID-19.
All waiting areas are to remain closed. Customers must wait in their vehicles until their appointment time and they are called for screening before entering.
Customers must sanitize their hands when entering and exiting.
Customers will be screened upon entry, including asking whether they have experienced any symptoms of COVID-19.
Customers must wear a face covering, such as a cloth mask, while inside at all times, unless they’re receiving a service that would be impeded by the covering.
Each customer must be draped with a clean cape, which are to be laundered after each use. A protective neck strip should also be placed around the neck of each customer getting a haircut.
The following guidelines were issued for the reopening of gyms:
No more than 30% of the gym’s maximum capacity. Gyms are encouraged to limit customers’ time to a max of 1 hour per day.
Classes or group exercises are allowed with customers maintaining a minimum of a 6-foot distance apart.
Customers must sanitize their hands when entering and exiting the gym and when they move between equipment.
All gyms are expected to take every step necessary to implement the regulations, orders, and guidance from the Mississippi State Department of Health and CDC to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Gyms must close to the public by 10:00 PM each day.
In addition to other gym staff, there must be at least one employee onsite during hours of operation dedicated to wiping down equipment after each use.
All high-touch areas must be sanitized at least once every two hours.
Exercise machines and equipment must be rearranged and.or deactivated to ensure at least 6 feet between customers.
Gyms must post signage at each entrance stating no customer with a fever or COVID-19 symptoms are allowed in.
Hand sanitizer must be placed at all entrances and throughout the gym floor.
