A Winnipeg tattoo shop has started an online petition calling on the province to allow body modification studios to open amid the relaxed COVID-19 rules put into place this week.
The petition, launched by Parlor Tattoos Monday, had more than 1,350 signatures by Tuesday afternoon.
Under the province’s phased plan to reopen the economy hair salons, non-urgent medical services, retail businesses, restaurant patios, museums and other businesses were allowed to open Monday under guidelines including increased cleaning and physical distancing protocols.
Tattoo studios, meanwhile, won’t be allowed to reopen until the third phase of the province’s reopening plan — with no set date.
“They have their hand over the pause button … and if there’s an influx of cases… they could stop that process and our businesses will be lost forever because we won’t even get a chance to recover economically” Parlor Tattoos co-owner Phil McLellan told Global News over the weekend.
“Who knows how many of us will make it through … We’ve been waiting since the middle of March to support our families.”
The online petition says the decision to allow hair salons and massage therapists to open with new rules around cleaning shows “an inherent bias” because body modification studios already have experience with sterilization and the use of personal protective equipment.
“These are people who need to learn how to do these things when we’re trained in this environment,” McLellan said of the changes coming for hair stylists and massage therapists.
“This is something we do as our job on a daily basis to protect our clients and ourselves.”
Manitoba’s chief public health officer was asked about the decision not to allow tattoo artists and body modification studios to open at a press conference Tuesday.
Dr. Brent Roussin said the province is taking a phased approach, and not all businesses could be opened all at once.
“It’s too risky to open up everything at the same time,” he said.
“It’s a balance and certainly we hear everyone’s point of view on it, but we have to make decisions — we just know that we can’t open everything.”
On Tuesday, provincial health officials announced another person had died from COVID-19, bringing the total number of Manitobans who have died of the virus to seven.
— With files from Erik Pindera