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An Alabama barbershop plans to reopen its doors Friday, flouting a statewide stay-at-home order closing all non-essential businesses to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
The Male Room, a full-service barbershop in Birmingham, announced on Facebook Tuesday it would open on a limited schedule and by appointment only beginning later in the week.
President and partner of Ervin Farr, Inc., the corporate entity that owns The Male Room, Scott Farr, said the male grooming salon will operate under stringent social distancing and sanitization policies.
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“We realize that to some this will be a controversial action, and it is not one that we have taken lightly," Farr said in the Facebook post. “The health and safety of staff and customers are of (the) utmost importance. Every practical precaution in the operation of the business will be utilized. We are making this difficult decision because not doing so ensures the business will fail.”
According to the state attorney general’s office, those who knowingly ignore the statewide stay-at-home order will be charged with a misdemeanor and may be fined up to $500 per violation.
After resisting pressure for weeks, Gov. Kay Ivey, a Republican, issued a statewide stay-at-home order effective April 4, closing all non-essential business, including barbershops. Birmingham, Alabama’s largest city, had already been placed on lockdown.
“Granted, we are not designated, according to the state of Alabama as ‘essential,’ but the income in which we have been deprived through governmental mandate is essential to our staff and their families,” Farr wrote.
Employees who volunteer to show up for work will be required to space out between salon chairs and wear face shields at all times. No more than 10 employees will be allowed in the building at a time.
Customers will be required to wait in their cars until receiving a text message to come into the building for their appointments. Service providers will thoroughly sanitize each station between appointments.
Clients must pay by credit card only, inserting their cards into the terminals themselves. Services will be limited to haircuts and neck shaves only. No spa or facial services such as pedicures, waxing or beard grooming will be performed.
“The Male Room was one of the many businesses forced to close back in mid-March. And while we are extremely sensitive to the serious implications of the virus, we are none the less faced with an equally serious dilemma,” Farr wrote. “Workers and businesses must have (an) income to survive."
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Acknowledging the federal stimulus package and bailouts for small businesses, Farr said that, "while this relief may eventually find its way to us, we are left with no other choice than to reopen for business now.”
Alabama has recorded at least 4,075 confirmed coronavirus cases, with 118 deaths by Thursday, according to Johns Hopkins University.
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