As cities across the country begin to reopen, the tattoo industry has experienced a lot of unfair regulations. In Maryland, Governor Hogan explicitly stated in Paragraph III, Section D., Subsection I3 of his executive order for the state's Phase 2 of reopening that tattoo shops were to be included. Montgomery County announced on 6/16/20 that tattoo shops will be EXCLUDED from their Phase 2 of reopening. Why the discrepancy? Of all of the other businesses that are allowed to reopen, why have we been excluded?

There has always been a stigma surrounding the tattoo industry. It's unfair and misunderstood. We pride ourselves in keeping a high standard when it comes to cleanliness, sterilization etc. We are trained and certified in blood-borne pathogen safety, cross-contamination and other health safety subjects. We have vastly more knowledge and training in those areas than any of the other personal service, retail and restaurant/bar businesses that have been allowed to reopen. We are better equipped to handle the new regulations to keep ourselves and our clients safe. Even at 50%, hair salons and barbershops often don't have enough room to allow for 200 sq ft between clients and they can see anywhere upwards of 30+ customers per day. Not only do we have more space and less traffic throughout the day, we also already have the proper PPE and germicides on hand. This is how we operate under normal circumstances. The health and safety of our artists and clients is and always has been paramount. Given the pandemic, we've further upped our procedures and standards. We can shorten appointments to reduce the amount of time clients spend in the shop, we have dozens of other new protocols prepared for when we are allowed to reopen. We're eager to get back to work and are more than ready to do so safely.

Small businesses are hurting. Montgomery County tattoo shops are losing clients to shops in other counties every single day. This is our livelihood, how we make our living. It's just the same as anyone else in any other profession. Most tattooers haven't received any sort of unemployment or other financial aid. We have bills to pay and families to support, just like anyone else. We have been arbitrarily excluded from this phase of reopening and it's unfair. 

We are petitioning for the County's Phase 2 executive order to be amended to allow for tattoo shops in Montgomery County to be allowed to open. We fully intend to surpass all safety regulations but just ask that we be allowed to get back to work.