Nebraska City Shutters Hair Salons

NEBRASKA CITY – Nebraska City became only the second city in the state to pass its own Directed Health Measure Wednesday  when its board of health made the guideline of a six foot distance between people an enforceable requirement.

The DHM, which takes effect Thursday and goes to May 6, will impact hair salons and tattoo parlors.

 

Mayor Bryan Bequette said DHM 2020-001 was not triggered by the typical reasons of more cases of COVID-19 or community spread of COVID-19.

Bequette: “What’s more driving Nebraska City to do this is that major communities to our west and to our north have passed more stringent DHMs, which has kind of encouraged folks under those DHMs to seek services in our area.”

Dr. Brad Vasa: “We want business coming to Nebraska City, just not now.”

 

City Attorney Drew Graham said the city DHM covers all non-exempt businesses in Nebraska City and can be enforced by local police and sheriff deputies.

Graham: “It’s any business that cannot maintain the six feet, so it could be just as simple as the design of your business. You may not be able to maintain that if the quarters are too close.”

Police Chief David Lacy said a six-foot distance means each person requires 36 square feet of space.

Bequette was asked via the Zoom meeting format about the DHM’s impact on wage earners.

Bequette: “Employees of a business that closes for any reason were always covered under unemployment, so, if that business owner decided to close because of their fear of COVID-19, their employees would have been covered all along.”

He suggested the Pandemic Unemployment Assistant Act and Small Business Administration as sources of information regarding impacts of the DHM closing.

Bequette added that hair salons and other business could stay open as retail centers, as long as the six-foot distance is maintained.