My name is Ed Bell. I own a tattoo studio in Rehoboth Beach ,Delaware. We as many others have been impacted by the corona virus and its effect on the community from a health standpoint as well as an economical standpoint. With the governors phase 1 reopening plan , tattoo studios were not included. 

Our industry is highly trained in cross-contamination and bloodborne pathogens. This training covers both physical and airborne contamination. As an industry, we are highly inspected, highly regulated, and highly trained. Our establishments have additional training and permitting to allow for us to handle biomedical waste, which in the state of Delaware, is inspected and signed off on by the same inspectors that handle hospitals and doctors' offices. In other words, we are held to the same regulations as medical offices by the same inspectors.

Our artists are trained to work on clients with bloodborne diseases, such as Hepatitis C and HIV in a safe fashion. They are trained to know when a client's blood pressure is dropping or when the body is about to enter into shock, as well as many other medical conditions. We use pre-sterilized equipment with disposable setups, cartridges (needles), and one-time-use supplies of ink, glides, etc. Our artists wear protective gloves, sleeve covers (so there is no skin to skin contact, even by accident), and non-porous washable aprons. Most artists wore masks long before this situation - so requesting they transition to this moving forward would not be an unreasonable request. The tattoo area is required to be sterilized before and after each client on a normal basis, with medical-grade cleaners that have been stringently approved by the Delaware Department of Health.

If any industry is able to handle the challenge of safely operating a clean, sterilized, protected space, it is ours. But unfortunately, our industry has been left behind during this period.

Please sign this petition to urge Governor Carney to include tattooing in the industries allowed to reopen! Don't forget to share it with your friends, family, and clients! LET'S GET BACK TO WORK SAFELY!