If you haven't seen it yet, here is the governor's plan to allow businesses in WV to re-open:
https://coronavirus.wvgovstatus.com/WV_Strong_The_Comeback.pdf
So bottom line is that "massage parlors" (cough sputter puke) are included in the 3-6 week phase of re-opening the state. Week 1's date has not yet been determined or announced so we don't yet know the dates of "3-6 weeks".
Here are pertinent points if you don't feel like looking through the whole plan [my comments are in brackets]:
For now
- continue physical distancing
- wear face coverings in public if physical distancing is difficult
- follow current Stay at Home Order until it is lifted
- follow all county Health Dept regulations [I cannot find any for Marion County]
- telework when possible [hard to do massage therapy that way]
What must happen before re-opening begins
- WV must have 3 consecutive days of cumulative positive tests below 3%
- [Isn't that going down now that they are testing more people who are asymptomatic, so does that really tell us anything?]
- "Allowing" but not "requiring" businesses to re-open
Week 1
- outpatient healthcare working with boards and associations to develop appropriate criteria
- includes primary care, dental, PT, OT, mental health, "etc." [Can "etc." include massage since in many ways it is very similar to PT and OT, so we can be included in Week 1 if the Massage Board develops appropriate criteria for us to resume our practices?]
- "testing of daycare staff" - can we get testing, too?
- small businesses with fewer than 10 employees [most of us fit that description]
- professional services: by appointment only, clients waiting in their vehicle and not in the business's office [we can adhere to both of those practices]
- includes hair and nail salons and dog grooming [grooming of people and pets is more important than massage?]
- with physical distancing, sanitization, and face coverings [granted that we can't stay 6 feet away from our clients while we are working, but we can certainly sanitize and wear face coverings]
Weeks 3-6
- offices, retail stores, parks, gyms, dine-in restaurants, hotels, casinos, spas/massage parlors, and other small businesses [um, what? PARLORS? really???]
- [so massage is at the end of the list of non-essential businesses...]
- [there is nothing at all specified in terms of face coverings, physical distancing, cleaning, etc.]
- nursing home visits, entertainment (movies, sports, concerts), gatherings larger than 25 people
Re-opening may change if
- unexpected increase in COVID hospitalizations
- significant outbreaks in community-based transmissions (may be county by county)
- cumulative number of positive tests above 3%
