Tattoo Parlors Closed Indefinitely in Louisiana
The newest restriction handed down by Governor John Bel Edwards has tattoo artists upset, and I can't blame them.
We're now a little over a week since beginning phase one of reopening our state. Before we dive any deeper, let's start by stating the fact that tattoo parlors were not meant to open during phase one in our state. Louisiana's phase one called for all massage establishments, spas, tattoo parlors, and all other places of public amusement remain closed.
Today, though, an emergency order was signed declaring that all tattoo parlors remain closed until further notice... Actually, the original order stated "All commercial body art facilities are closed indefinitely". It was later changed to, "All commercial body art facilities are closed until further notice." The emergency order was signed this afternoon by State Health Officer Dr. Jimmy Guidry.
I struggle to find the difference between the two phrases, but I've seen several Facebookers arguing over the exact verbiage, even though I believe 'indefinitely' and 'until further notice' mean the exact same thing.
Either way, for owners of tattoo parlors and tattoo artists, either phrase is a scary thought.
Theoretically, it could mean tattoo parlors could open in a week. It also means tattoo parlors could open in a year. That's frightening verbiage to say the very least.
One prominent Shreveport tattoo artist had the following to say after the order became public:
When a place of business, that only accepts cash, that makes its money off of members of our communities losing their paychecks, especially for those who make more on unemployment right now than they were at their actual job, and a place that can still see thousands of people a day under the 25% occupancy rule, is allowed to open with phase one, before a business that can survive off three clients per week, it is no longer about safety.