CHICO, Calif.- It's been more than a month since the stay-at-home order was issued by Governor Gavin Newsom and some local businesses are slowly starting to reopen.
A local barbershop in Chico decided to reopen its doors this week.
Gearhead Barbershop, located on West Sacramento Avenue in Chico has reopened to the public for the first time after being closed for weeks.
The City of Chico says they are aware that non-essential businesses, like the barbershop, are open and they are working with them to make sure they are following the proper safety measures and educate them on how to reduce the risk of exposure.
The owner of Gearhead Barbershop, Anthony Eidem opened for business this week and says Code Enforcement officials met with him to make sure he knew all of the rules and regulations and they checked to make sure everything was clean and sterilized.
Eidem says many essential workers like medical workers and firefighters have been stopping by for haircuts this week.
Even though he is receiving praise for being open again, he is also facing negative reactions from people who are concerned about the potential risks.
He says, all of the employees are wearing masks, plastic gloves and plastic aprons. He only allows a few people into the barbershop at a time.
City of Chico Assistant Manager, Chris Constantin says, "Every owner needs to do what's best for them, the same way as a consumer decides whats best for them, I need a haircut right now but I am not going to a barbershop and that's a personal choice I make. What businesses will see is that consumers will make a choice of their own and that will drive whether or not a business decides to stay open."
He adds, Butte County is one of the few counties in California that do not have a county-wide order that defines essential and non-essential businesses, so it's up to the city to decide what's best for the community.
If a business that is deemed non-essential by the governor's order, the city will make sure it understands and follows the proper safety precautions.
Constantin says as of right now, the city has not issued any citations or has shut any business down, but that could possibly change in the future.
Gearhead Barbershop is open Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
They are offering free haircuts to those who are working on the frontlines.