On Friday businesses in Louisiana will move into Phase One of reopening the economy. Here is what to expect when businesses in St. Tammany Parish and in Jefferson Parish reopen.
St. Tammany Parish
Retail
• Restrict occupancy. Retail stores and malls should control entry to a certain number of customers, using the Fire Marshal's capacity limit as a guide.
• Maintain special hours for vulnerable citizens.
• Maximize curbside and delivery efforts and provide contactless pay options where possible.
• Utilize signage and make regular announcements to remind customers of 6 feet social distancing guidelines. Retailers recommend that LDH create downloadable social distancing signage for use by businesses that have not developed their own signage.
• Demonstrate six feet of spacing in checkout areas through floor decals or other marking methods.
• Increase efforts and assign employees to disinfect high-traffic and high-touch areas like self-checkout, door handles, POS systems, PIN pads, carts and bathrooms.
• Employees should wear face coverings.
• Customers should be strongly encouraged to wear face coverings.
• Consider policies to limit returns and exchanges and notify customers of such policies.
• Require employees to practice frequent hand washing and/or provide an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
• Encourage employees who feel sick to stay home.
• Retail establishments must offer contactless curbside service for items ordered online, over the phone, or through a store app where possible.
• Increase cleaning measures for touchpoints, including shopping carts, handles, merchandise shelves, front-end belts and cash registers, elevators, escalators, door handles, fitting rooms, and other high-contact touchpoints.
• Offer touchless point-of-sale options where possible. If touchless point-of-sale options are not available, clean keypads, screens, and pens between customers, or offer customers hand sanitizer after use.
Restaurants
• Restaurants need to adhere to strict safe sanitation practices with all team members certified in safe food handling and a certified manager on every shift.
• All employees will pass a health check or complete a health survey prior to each shift.
• All indoor and outdoor and waiting for options will comply with the appropriate social distancing guidelines.
• Hand sanitizer or handwashing stations will be available to all customers and employees.
• Clean and sanitize common areas and surfaces regularly.
• Clean and sanitize each dining area after every use.
• Place settings, utensils, menus, and condiments will either be single-use or will be cleaned and sanitized after every use.
• Reservations only
• Employees will wear face coverings and wash hands/sanitize frequently throughout the shift
• No use of linen napkins or tablecloths
• Restaurants should mark the floor/ground in the to-go waiting area with tape or other indicators where customers wait to be served; alternatively, customers could wait in their cars
• Reduce outdoor capacity in accordance with what is allowed by the State Fire Marshal
• Space tables a minimum of 10 feet from each other (measured from all edges of the table)
• Limit table groups to 6 individuals
• Eliminate gatherings in the building when entering or exiting the outdoor seating area
• Upon opening dining rooms in Phase I, restaurants may operate with 25% of capacity allowed by the State Fire Marshal
Salons and Barbers
• Place a sign at the entrance of the salon informing customers they will be screened upon entry.
• All areas of the salon which will be occupied shall be cleaned and disinfected with an EPA registered disinfectant.
• Items that cannot be sanitized shall be removed from the service area of the salon, e.g. any upholstered furniture, drapery, rugs or magazines.
• Stations in use shall be at least 10 feet from each other to maintain 6 feet between individuals except for the licensee or permittee while receiving services.
• Stations in use shall have hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol available for use.
• Any refreshments offered to customers must be in sealed, self-contained, single, serving, disposable containers.
• Clients must wait outside of the salon and observe social distancing requirements.
• Each staff member and the customer must wash hands with soap and water upon entry to the salon, prior to exiting the salon, and before and after servicing each client with hand sanitizer available at the salon entrance.
• Each staff member and the customer shall wear a face covering while in the salon. Cloth coverings must be laundered and dried at high heat daily.
• Records of all services including the customer’s name and date and time of service shall be maintained by the salon for three years.
• No cosmetology services shall be performed outside of a licensed salon.
• All reusable tools and implements shall be cleaned with an antimicrobial wash and then sanitized or sterilized after each.
• Each customer shall wear a disposable cape or a cape that can be disinfected over their clothing while services are being performed.
• After each customer, the station, chair, and shampoo bowl used shall be wiped down with an EPA registered disinfectant.
Jefferson Parish
Allowed Businesses with restrictions
• All Essential Industries listed in the previous phase
• General Retail
• Food Service: In-Dining
• Bars/Breweries with food permit from La. Department of Health
• General Office
• Hospitality
• Expanded Government Services
• Professional Services
• Salons, Grooming, and Personal Care
• Gyms/Fitness Studios
• Expanded Financial Services
• Educational Services
• Childcare
• Elective Medical
• Places of Worship
• Casinos, Video Poker, and Racetracks not open to spectators
• Theaters
• Museums, zoos, aquariums (no tactile exhibits, no children’s museums)
• Solo and non-contact sports
Mall stores without external entrances will be restricted to curbside pick-up only.
Businesses not allowed in Phase One:Tattoo parlors, spa/non-medical massage: in-mall retail without exterior entrances, carnivals, amusement parks, water parks, trampoline parks, arcades, fairs, bars and breweries without LDH food permits, pool halls, contact sports, children’s play centers and museums, playgrounds, theme parks. Adult entertainment venues. Events, festivals, and conferences over 10 people are not allowed.
Capacity and Gathering Limits for Phase 1:
All non-essential businesses/organizations allowed to operate in Phase 1 must limit capacity to 25% of their total listed capacity as defined by the State.
MASS GATHERING LIMITS: Avoid socializing in groups of more than 10 people in circumstances that do not readily allow for appropriate physical distancing, per Federal guidance.
Phase 1 businesses will be allowed to open if able to implement industry guidance contained in this plan.
Metric – The benchmark for entering Phase 1 is a decline in new cases of COVID-19 over a minimum of 14 days with no large deviations. Testing must also be available and sufficient enough to test all people with COVID-19 symptoms, as well as close contacts and those in essential roles. Finally, the healthcare system must have the resources and capacity to safely care for all patients. Jefferson Parish will coordinate with the State as well as seek the guidance of Ochsner Health System, LCMC Health, East Jefferson General Hospital, and HCA/Tulane Lakeside to ensure sufficient medical capacity before announcing the commencement of Phase 1.
