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Bar owners, tattoo artists to protest at Capitol over their exclusion from Gov. Abbott's reopen orders

Central Texas bar owners and tattoo artists are protesting on Tuesday, May 12, at the Texas Capitol.

AUSTIN, Texas — Bar owners and tattoo artists are expected to protest on Tuesday, May 12, at the Texas Capitol to make a statement about their exclusion from Gov. Greg Abbott's reopening order.

According to the governor's orders, Texas restaurants, retails stores, malls, movie theaters, salons, museums and gyms can reopen with some restrictions as part of Gov. Abbott's plan to reopen the state.

A few bar owners began to protest around 9 a.m., while tattoo artists are expected to protest at 2 p.m. on the Capitol steps. The business owners are hoping to get acknowledgment from the governor's office because they want to get back to work soon.

Tattoo artists told KVUE they believe they should have been added to the list of re-openings with hair salons and barbershops because they follow similar regulations.

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Under Gov. Abbott's order, barbershops, hair salons, tanning salons and nail salons reopened on May 8. Abbott recommended using an appointment system only, and said if you allow walk-ins, make sure customers keep six feet of distance from each other.

"Prior to COVID-19 we have been heavily regulated by the Department of Health and Human Services and we have to take annual bloodborne pathogen training. We use medical-grade disinfectants and are certified in cross-contamination prevention and aseptic practices," said Daniel Garza, a tattoo artist from Paris, Texas. "We are very well informed about how to prevent diseases and infections from spreading in our work environment. However, we have been completely neglected when it comes to reopening with new protective measures."

"Although I am happy that these business owners are allowed to move forward with their business in a safe manner and are able to now provide an income for their families, I can't help but be confused and a bit outraged as to why businesses with less training in disinfecting and aseptic practices have been allowed to open yet tattoo artists and piercers aren't," Garza said.

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Garza and other artists have emailed and called the governor's office without being addressed.

"We want to be heard, we want to educate the powers that be about our industry and we want to provide for our families. We want to be treated fairly." Garza said.

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