Tattoo shop owners concerned over when businesses will be allowed to reopen

MONTEREY, Calif. (KION) Owners of tattoo shops are left wondering when they will be able to reopen their businesses as they face financial hardships during the shelter in place.

Monterey County is under Phase 2.5 of Governor Gavin Newsom's recovery plan, but tattoo parlors cannot reopen yet.

Some shop owners KION spoke with in Monterey are hoping the reopening process will begin soon.

“My biggest concern with not being able to open is the fact of providing for my family and providing for my community,” Owner of Harbor Light Tattoo Noah Bartholomay said.

Bartholomay and Iron Crown Tattoo Owner Orlando Ferron estimate their businesses have lost a quarter of their revenue.

As Salons and restaurants reopen, they wonder why they can’t as well.

“You go to a hair salon and you get a die job and it’s going to take about 
two to three hours if you’re actually getting somebody that’s legit doing 
it,” Ferron said. "It’s starting to kinda of crack a little bit with the excuses that they are giving us to not be able to reopen.”

Before the pandemic, tattoo parlors had to follow safety and health 
guidelines.

“We are the most well-trained businesses to be able to operate right now,” Bartholomay said. “We are trained to use PPE precautions properly, we’re trained to disinfect properly, we are trained to take care of ourselves, our clients and our communities first and foremost.”

But the health department said there some concerns with reopening this 
industry too soon, especially with clients and artists typically having to 
be within 6 feet of each other.

Health Officer Dr. Edward Moreno said if a client or artist is in close 
proximity for more than 15 minutes and one of them had the virus, the other is considered a close contact and would have to be quarantined.

“Tattoos take a while so the sessions are typically longer than 15 minute,” Moreno said. 

While tattoo shops take precautions to prevent blood born pathogens, Moreno said the coronavirus is different.

“This is aerosolized. It's a respiratory illness and so it’s the breathing in close proximity to someone who's infectious that puts someone at risk of COVID-19,” Moreno said.

Tattoo parlors and other personal care services will likely reopen in phase 
three of Governor Newsom's recovery plan.