ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – Some business owners in Orange County said they’re ready to reopen when they get the OK from Gov. Ron DeSantis, many are even taking steps into their own hands to keep people safe and prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Florida businesses are awaiting guidance from DeSantis on reopening, he’s slated to make an announcement Wednesday evening, for now, Parramore barbershop owner J. Henry said he and his barbers are ready to get back to work.
“We really need to make money, but we want to be safe as well,” Henry said.
His barbershop has been closed for weeks and he admits it has been tough. He said safety of his employees and customers is top priority when it comes to reopening.
“I got rubber gloves, got the masks, and believe it or not, I had sanitizer at home,” Henry said.
Henry is one of the members of the Orange County Economic Recovery Task Force helping to decide how reopening the county may look, but for now, he said he plans to require all of his barbers to wear gloves and a mask. He’s taking a few chairs out of his shop to reduce capacity inside. He said he’s also strongly suggesting that customers wear a mask too.
"I always like to stress safety and being clean, because that’s very important to me," said J. Henry.
Meanwhile, a few blocks away in Parramore, reopening safely at 534 Scratch Kitchen is important too, said owner Tim Green.
"We need to all take measurements that we need to keep our families and communities safe," said Green.
Wednesday, crews were conducting a deep clean inside of his restaurant on Church Street, something he said will happen regularly. He said he’s also talking with nearby business leaders on a larger plan to keep customers safe. He told News 6 how he plans to keep his employees safe.
"They’ll be required to wear masks and gloves, and also daily checks to make sure they’re okay as well," said Green. "We feel the community is going to support us, so we’re really excited."
News 6 will let you know when things reopen.