Snohomish barber faces loss of license for defying state's COVID-19 reopening plan
komonews.com/news/local/state-dept-of-licensing-sends-letter-to-barbershop-about-defying-governors-order
SNOHOMISH, Wash. – A Snohomish barbershop defied Gov. Jay Inslee's 'Stay Home, Stay Healthy' order again Wednesday by opening its doors to customers, and state regulators are threatening to yank the establishment's license.
The Stag Barber Shop reopened last week despite not being designated as an essential business as defined by the state's COVID-19 response plan.
The shop’s owner Bob Martin told KOMO News that despite hundreds of people dying from the virus in Washington, he doesn't believe it's real. He thinks more people will suffer from not being able to pay their bills, he said.
Under Inslee's 4-phase plan to reopen the state, barbers aren't allowed to reopen until Phase 2. Phase 2 likely won't take effect until June 1 at the earliest, the State Secretary of Health said earlier this week.
The Washington State Department of Licensing sent a letter to the shop’s owner on Tuesday, warning him that he's not in compliance with Inslee's order, a department spokesperson told KOMO News. If he continues to stay open, the next step in the DOL's disciplinary process will be a license suspension, the department spokesperson said.