Tattoo parlors, tanning salons OK to reopen

Tattoo parlors, body-piercing studios and tanning salons can reopen in Palm Beach County today, as long as they follow necessary COVID-19 health and safety guidelines.

Palm Beach County issued an executive order Sunday allowing the businesses to reopen, but they must adhere to guidelines from the Florida Department of Health. According to the executive order, county and local law enforcement will enforce the new reopening order, but officials said if they follow guidelines, the practices should be safe.

“These establishments have a low risk of transmission or low risk of community spread when facial coverings, physical distancing, enhanced cleaning protocols and proper guidelines are followed,” the order read.

“The Governor and I spoke directly about these industries and based upon the operational plans submitted, we have little concern that these industries will be any source of transmission of COVID-19,” Palm Beach County Mayor Dave Kerner said Sunday. “This decision was made, in part, due to the effective suppression of the virus.”

The move comes less than two weeks after Gov. Ron DeSantis said he was considering allowing South Florida to move into Phase 2 of reopening, which would open these types of businesses and others in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties.

DeSantis cited “significant downward trends” in new cases when he first hinted at the move on Aug. 19, but at the time, some local officials, including Kerner, expressed concern about opening some businesses prematurely.

Cases were still trending downward Sunday, but did go over 621,000 with 11,263 total deaths in the state.

The reopening was welcome news to tattoo parlor owners, some of who believe they should have been able to open months ago.

“There was no reason we shouldn’t have been open three months ago,” said John Wylie, coowner of Aces High Tattoo, which has four locations in Palm Beach County. “We appreciate the county officials that helped make this happen.”