Some companies will undoubtedly heed Kemp’s guidance in the coming days and gradually return to work. But The Dispatch reached out to nearly 20 small businesses in Georgia touched by the governor’s new plan. Not one told us they were reopening this week.
“After careful consideration, and the guidance of the city of Atlanta’s mayor, we have decided to stay closed until further notice,” Atlanta’s Freedom Barber Co. said in an email. “Our barbers’ and our clients’ health and safety are always our number one priority.” The business will not resume operations until the local government gives the go-ahead.
“Although the governor has said we may be able to open the dining room (with restrictions), I am not sure we will be doing that for a couple of weeks,” Cathy Rocha said of her restaurant, Tacqueria Pancho Villa, in Waycross. “I want to be sure we can do so as safely as possible and I want customers to not only be safe, but also to feel safe. … We definitely won’t be opening the dining room as early as Monday. It just doesn’t make sense for us.”
Porch Light Latin Kitchen in Smyrna shifted to a takeout model right after St. Patrick’s Day, and there are no plans to change that in the foreseeable future.
