Lafayette Mayor-President Josh Guillory Enacts Safe Shop Policy

Effective at midnight tonight, a Safe Shop Policy is being enacted for "gray-area businesses" as Lafayette Mayor-President Josh Guillory announced updated guidance for business operations in the Parish during a press conference on Thursday.

Officials at the press conference offered examples of these "gray-area businesses" -smaller retail shops, mom & pop shops, furniture stores, and clothing stores.

Guillory announced that these businesses must follow these guidelines:

• Employees must wear masks
• Employees may not work with fever or other COVID-19 symptoms
• Customers must maintain 6 feet of social distancing
• Building occupancy must be below 25% of the permitted capacity per the Fire Marshal
• There is to be no congregating or loitering in on near these businesses
• Customers with fever or other COVID-19 symptoms must be asked to leave the store

"Violating business may have their lights shut off," said Guillory, as he announced business owners in violation of the policy may face fines and/or jail time.

Businesses that were specifically closed in the Governor's Stay-At-Home order include the following:

• All places of public amusement, whether indoors or outdoors, including but not limited to, locations with amusement rides, carnivals, amusement parks, water parks, trampoline parks, aquariums, zoos, museums, arcades, fairs, pool halls, children’s play centers, playgrounds, theme parks, any theaters, concert and music halls, adult entertainment venues, racetracks, and other similar businesses.

• All personal care and grooming businesses, including but not limited to, barber shops, beauty salons, nail salons, spas, massage parlors, tattoo parlors, and other similar businesses.

Effective this Monday, LEDA will be available to help businesses comply with the policy.