ATLANTA — Some businesses have not been forced to close, even though social distancing makes their jobs impossible.
Nail salons and hair salons are struggling to figure out if they can still service clients and stay safe.
11Alive's Kaitlyn Ross spoke to Shay Ray, a stylist in Floyd County just miles away from the outbreak in Bartow County. She said she is adjusting to the new realities of social distancing, but it's been difficult.
"When people are feeling bad, there's two places they go: one is the doctor, the other is the hairdresser," Ray explained.
She has been a hair dresser for 38 years, and her clients are like her family. She said telling them she can't see them is the hardest part.
"We implemented safety measures, like, just wait in your car. One in, one out," she explained.
She is an independent contractor, and said over the past week, it's been stressful to figure out how to still make money while staying safe.
"There are plenty of us out there - single families. This is our only income. This job, which we love. And we love our clients, they're like our family, but we are kinda forgotten right now," she said.
She feels forgotten because they have not received guidance from the state about what they're supposed to do when they work in a business that demands they're close to other people.
Just Thursday, Gov. Brian Kemp said he would not force businesses to close down. But Ray said that's not exactly welcome news.
"Honestly, I think most of us would like a mandatory shut down, so we are entitled to some sort of compensation," she said.
She wants to be eligible for unemployment, but also to stay safe.
There are six confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Floyd County where Ray is, and 40 in neighboring Bartow County.
"The numbers that we know versus the numbers that are printed and reported, differ, so we really wonder about that," she said.
The Bartow County Health Department stressed the numbers provided by the state are not in real time, and Shay said almost everyone she knows, knows someone who is quarantined. So Friday, she made the tough decision to shut down.
"I'm not willing to risk my life or my family, nor my clients," she said.
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