Even as many states attempt to reopen for business, government overreach is still the norm. Here in the State of Florida, the Governors Executive Order closing business and requiring workers of non-essential businesses to remain at home, expired on Thursday, April 30, 2020. My ex-wife owns a Waxing Salon and after zero income from the business for the month of April she was anxious to reopen. Her clients were also anxious to take advantage of the services offered.
In her line of business, client health is always a concern. She has developed protocols for ensuring minimal spread of infection, if at all. As it turns out every thing she normally does is part of the Re-Opening Guidelines that came out of the Governors Taskforce. These include booking by appointment only, (90% of her business has always been by appointment. Walk-ins typically are given an appointment for a later time unless they just happen to come in when there are no clients currently receiving a service.), regularly sanitize working stations and equipment between interactions with clients, require employees to use appropriate PPE, i.e. masks, gloves, etc., provide masks for the public upon request, do not allow large groups to congregate outside the facility, maintain social distancing.
All of these guidelines were being followed yesterday when three law enforcement officers showed up and barged into her facility and in very loud voices began to chastise her saying she could not be open and why was she open. She proceeded to ask them to lower their voices. She advised them the Governors EO had expired, which they agreed was the case. They still insisted however she could not open for another 15 days. There ahs been no new EO regarding an extension of previous guidelines. The Governor did say businesses could begin re-opening Monday May 4th but in the absence of any EO and given she was in fact following the re-opening guidelines, I fail to understand why these officers would have barged into her facility, violating themselves social distancing guidelines to harrass her and force her under the threat of taking her into custody to close her business.
Herein lies one of the biggest problems with the lockdown, stay at home edicts issued by state, county and municipality officials. The edicts do not have the force of law, yet in many parts of the country law enforcement has acted as if they did. Even the Attorney General, William Barr has questioned this overreach and has indicated the DOJ will support actions brought against those engaged in such overreach. I am not sure if anyone locally, in the State of Florida, is pursuing action against the Governor or local officials but I for one would like to join their cause.