As businesses like restaurants and salons gear up for limited openings tomorrow, Governor Doug Burgum is asking patrons of those businesses to have patience with the new operating guidelines.
Guidelines for each industry are posted online at nd.response.gov/covid-19-resources, and are part of the Governor's ND Smart Restart plan. Burgum says he knows people are excited, but things will look different - and customers need to be understanding of that. He says for example, customers of salons and other personal care businesses may be asked to wear masks while they are inside. Burgum says businesses are doing so to protect their employees, and hopes customers will gladly comply.
"You may say, 'hey I don't think I need to wear a mask,' but the person you're interacting with may have a family member who works in a longterm care situation, or have a child that's got an immunocompromised situation. So I think that one of the things about being North Dakota Smart also includes a giant dose of empathy, understanding, patience, and I would even go as far to say as love toward the people and understanding about what people may be doing and how they're trying to protect themselves."
Bars, restaurants, fitness centers, personal care services and movie theaters will be opening tomorrow under the new guidelines.