Good morning,
Small-business owners across Texas and Mississippi can agree on one thing: Nobody saw this week's reopenings coming.
On Tuesday, Governors Greg Abbott (R-Texas) and Tate Reeves (R-Miss.) announced major reopening policies, including the removal of statewide mask mandates and business occupancy limits. Their two states join a growing list including Iowa and Montana, which lifted mask mandates in February. Massachusetts removed capacity limits on eateries on Monday, and South Carolina now allows gatherings with more than 250 people. Meanwhile, the Centers for Disease Control have not changed its pandemic-era recommendations--which include limited indoor occupancy, consistent use of facemasks or other personal protective equipment (PPE), and distancing of six-plus feet.
As such, the announcements have been met with mixed feelings among small-business owners, many of whom are balancing the need for safety with a desire to get back to business as usual. And some owners say the matter of reopening--after many months of Covid restrictions--has left them scrambling to both process the implications and devise next steps. "It's a mixed bag," says Adele Lyons, CEO of the Mississippi Gulf Coast Chamber of Commerce, noting that some small businesses aren't changing their mask policies or occupancy limits at all, while others have expressed excitement for newfound "maskless freedom."
Read our story to learn how the unexpected announcements are bringing both welcome news and new headaches to entrepreneurs in both states, and what you should do if your state is next. |
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